A baby girl left at Beverly Hospital in Montebello became the first "safe surrender" in Los Angeles County this year and the
70th since the program was initiated in 2001, it was announced Tuesday.
The healthy infant, who was born on Feb. 9, was taken into protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption, according to county Supervisor Don Knabe, who began the Safe Surrender program.
"I want to thank this newborn's mother for doing the right thing," he said. "The Safe Surrender Program continues to protect babies from abandonment and give mothers a safe, secure and anonymous way to get their child into safe hands."
A total of seven newborns were surrendered last year, the most recent in Valencia in September.
The program, approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2001, allows infants who are no more than three days old and show no signs of abuse to be surrendered at approved locations, such as hospitals.
