PORTLAND, Ore. — On Wednesday, Portland first responders arrived at what they called an unusual scene: a woman had just given birth on the sidewalk at the corner of Southwest 13th and Market Street and was walking away.
Paramedics informed police the newborn baby was doing ok and was already in the ambulance. Officer Nathan Kirby-Glatkowski and his partner found the mother not long after.
"We encountered somebody who was experiencing a pretty serious mental crisis," Kirby-Glatkowski said. "We had a lot of concern about her safety, and making sure that we got her to a place to get a medical assessment and get her the help that she needed. The sidewalk at 13th and Market is no place to deliver a baby alone."
Earlier this week in Springfield, another distressing case was reported: a baby boy found alone in a hotel room. Police said his mother was found dead just feet from her son after overdosing on heroin several days earlier. The 6-month-old was airlifted to the hospital and suffered from severe dehydration, malnourishment and severe diaper rash.
These stories are devastating and distressing. Katie O'Brien, executive director for Rose Haven, admitted she didn't find them surprising. She said it's not uncommon for mothers in crisis, grappling with addiction and experiencing homelessness, to slip through the cracks.
"I think that any of us doing this kind of work, and working with women, understand really deeply the challenges that they are facing living outside," she said. "Not everybody’s pregnant, but everybody is struggling with mental and physical wellness and there are so many barriers for people in accessing services."
Even with all the tools at her fingertips, O'Brien said she's found it difficult at times to find care for some of the women who walk through these doors. Unless you know exactly where to go, as a woman in crisis, finding the right services can be near impossible.
"There are so many more homeless women that we don't know about because women hide," she said. "They were outside and they hide because of the abuse they experience outside."
She said there's a real need for more low-barrier and women-focused shelters, like Rose Haven, and for more mental health services across the board. She also said it's a matter of trust.
"If we can bridge those relationships more and make people more comfortable and seeking care for themselves, and care for their children, that's likely to extend itself beyond our walls," O'Brien said.
First responders want to remind the public about Safe Surrender, a law that allows a birth parent to leave a newborn infant at an authorized facility. Oregon statute states that as long as the baby is 30 days or younger, shows no signs of abuse and is handed to someone working at an authorized facility, there will be no legal consequences.