Indiana Hospital Dismisses Two Staff Members After Mother Delivers Baby in Truck Just Minutes Post-Discharge.
Mercedes Wells’ experience at Franciscan Health Crown Point underscores the disparities Black women face in childbirth.
Franciscan Health Crown Point in Indiana has terminated a doctor and nurse after Mercedes Wells reported being improperly discharged while in active labor, leading her to give birth in a truck just minutes later. Hospital CEO Raymond Grady addressed the incident in a Nov. 21 statement, describing the viral video as “difficult to watch.”
“We did not listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns,” Grady said, emphasizing that “as an experienced mother who previously had a positive birth experience at our hospital, she knew something was wrong.” He added that the hospital must address the shortcomings that led to the incident so that “no one else goes through what happened to Mercedes Wells.”
Wells said she reached the Crown Point facility shortly after midnight on Nov. 16, convinced she had gone into labor. In a Facebook post, she explained that she never saw a doctor and was told by nurses that she wasn’t progressing. She told NBC Chicago that when a nurse came back to her room, she was informed, “If you’re not further along in your centimeters, we have to send you home.”
Wells and her husband, Leon, said they begged staff not to discharge her, but were told it was “the doctor’s orders.” Viral videos on Leon’s social media show Mercedes being wheeled out of the hospital in tears.
The family headed to Community Hospital in Munster, but only minutes into the drive realized the baby was coming. Leon ended up delivering their daughter in the truck. “I saw her pushing … I pulled a little, the baby came out, and I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I just prayed.”
Wells said she was terrified. “I was scared,” she recalled. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Their daughter, Alena, was reportedly healthy as of Nov. 18, though Wells noted the situation could have ended much differently. “It could have gone any way, and I wasn’t being cared for by a professional,” she said.
Grady stated that the video circulating online “does not reflect the values of Franciscan Health Crown Point,” and confirmed that both the nurse and doctor involved “are no longer employed.” The hospital is implementing cultural competency training and now requires physicians—not just nurses—to evaluate any pregnant patient before discharge.
Wells’ family says they believe racial bias was a factor. Grady said he has reached out and hopes to meet with them shortly.
Rep. Robin Kelly of Illinois plans to support Wells next week as she introduces a bill targeting maternal health inequities. The CDC reports about 50,000 major pregnancy complications each year and notes that Black women are at least three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.
