It was heartsickening to gather with the large amount of electronic media members in front of Cafe Picasso, in Williston Park, last week to discover that yet another dear little baby lost its life by being stuffed into a plastic bag.

There was just a molecule of relief to hear from the Nassau County Medical Examiner's office that the baby infant, a little boy, was stillborn. However, maybe with proper care, in a hospital, that would not have happened. Perhaps the baby could have been saved, but we will never know.

The Children of Hope Foundation, founded by the members of the Ambulance Medical Technicians (AMT) of the Nassau County Police Department, have announced that they will arrange for a dignified burial. Further, the little boy has been named Joseph, after the employee of the restaurant, who found him.

But all of this need not have happened because Nassau County Attorney Denis Dillon has announced that any expectant mother, who is embarrassed or afraid to admit the birth of a child, may bring that baby to the Emergency Room of any of the following hospitals: Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow; Mercy Medical Center, Rockville Centre; South Nassau Communities, Oceanside and Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola.

All of those facilities will accept a baby with no questions asked. The baby will be safe and the confidentiality of the mother will be protected. She will not face any criminal charges if she brings the baby, unharmed, to any of the designated safe havens.

For emergency assistance in bringing a baby to a safe haven, please call 1-877-796-HOPE.

We truly hope that all expectant mothers will not be too frightened to take advantage of this offer. There are so many eligible couples with wonderful homes trying to adopt a baby and any baby left at any of these Safe Havens would eventually be placed in just such a home where it would receive wonderful care and lots of love.

-mdw