MARQUETTE — Safe Delivery Program consultant Jean Hoffman will provide two law training sessions focusing on Michigan’s Safe Delivery Program Wednesday at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Marquette.

The Safe Delivery of Newborns law, which took effect Jan. 1, 2001, allows complete anonymous surrender of a newborn infant from birth to 72 hours of age to an emergency service provider, defined as an employee or contractor of a fire department, hospital or police station, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services website.

Since law took effect, 202 infants have been surrendered to emergency service providers safely, the website states.

In 2007, an additional clause was added to the law, stating a parent could surrender an infant after calling 911 to any emergency service provider.

Hoffman said when an infant is surrendered, it’s then transported to a hospital where a physician examines it to determine age and if there’s any sign of abuse or neglect. If the infant shows signs of abuse, child protective services will be contacted to investigate further into the matter. If the infant’s health is cleared, the hospital contacts adoption agencies that work with the Safe Delivery Program. The infant is then placed with an adoptive family, sometimes just hours after being surrendered to emergency services.

“We encourage anyone in a situation when they’re not prepared to have a child that traditional adoption is, of course, the first choice,” Hoffman said. However, the program was created to reassure parents that other options exist when faced with an unplanned pregnancy and under no circumstance should they abandon the infant.

“There’s a constant need to provide public awareness,” Hoffman said. “It takes a number of people throughout the state to raise awareness.”

According to Hoffman, many teachers have embraced sharing information about Safe Delivery to students — “opting the program into health education classes.”

Hoffman, with help of teachers and the Department of Education developed an “Educators Tool-kit” which can be found on the DHHS website.

“We want to help them help us,” she said.

The law training on Wednesday will cover basic information regarding Safe Delivery and success stories. It’ll also provide resources to emergency personnel and educational resources.

Hoffman urges emergency service providers, adoption agencies, local child protective services and anyone in the community interested in learning how they can help promote awareness to come to the training.

There will be two law training sessions on Wednesday. One from 10 a.m. to noon and the other at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

“We encourage anyone to come and learn about Safe Delivery — anyone who wants to help raise awareness can distribute information to local businesses, churches and schools — we need help educating the public,” Hoffman said.

For more information on Safe Delivery, visit www.michigan.gov/safedelivery.

Jaymie Depew can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is jdepew@miningjournal.net.