A pregnant Indiana woman was reportedly turned away from a hospital while in active labor, leading her to give birth to her daughter in her car just minutes later on the side of the road.
The incident at Franciscan Health in Crown Point has sparked high-level conversations between the hospital and the family, Leon and Mercedes Wells, who are determined to see systemic changes made.
The Incident
Mercedes Wells went to the hospital while in labor but was allegedly told she was not far enough along to be admitted and was discharged.
Minutes later, Mercedes delivered her daughter, Alena, in the car on the side of the road, with her husband, Leon, assisting from the driver’s seat.
“I put my fingers around my baby’s head, and as my wife pushed, I pulled,” Leon said, recalling the dramatic roadside delivery.
Hospital Takes Action
Following the shocking event, Franciscan Health Crown Point has taken action. They confirmed that the physician and nurse directly involved with Mercedes’ care have been fired. The hospital has also implemented mandated cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff.
President and CEO Raymond Grady said, in part, that the hospital and the Wells family “share the same goals, to ensure every patient is heard and receives compassionate, equitable care.”
Family Seeks Further Change
The Wells family and their Chicago-based attorney, Cannon Lambert Sr., met with hospital administrators on Thursday, but their lawyer says a “disconnect” remains over the next steps.
While the firing of staff is a step, the family’s attorney says more must be done. This includes adding mandatory implicit bias training and firing two additional nurses who were reportedly seen wheeling Mercedes out of the hospital despite her pleas to be admitted.
“When you see something, you should say something, They didn’t,” Lambert Sr. said.
The Wells family’s ultimate goal is to ensure no mother endures what Mercedes did.
“My wife wasn’t heard when this first situation happened, and I’m not too sure she’s heard now,” Leon stated.
The family has not yet filed a lawsuit but says it remains an option depending on how negotiations proceed.
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