Indiana Hospital Fires Staff After Mother Forced to Give birth in Car
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A Chicago-area woman’s harrowing experience of being turned away from a northwest Indiana hospital while in labor has lead to the termination of personnel and a sweeping review of patient care protocols.
Did you know? – Mercedes Wells delivered her baby, Alena, on the side of the road.She was discharged from Franciscan Health Crown Point just eight minutes prior. The incident has caused outrage and a hospital response.
Mercedes Wells, 38, delivered her fourth child, alena, on the side of the road just eight minutes after being discharged from Franciscan Health Crown Point on sunday morning. The incident has sparked outrage and prompted a swift response from hospital leadership.
Hospital responds with Terminations and Training
Pro tip: – Franciscan Health Crown Point mandated cultural competency training for labor and delivery staff. The hospital also requires physician examinations before discharging pregnant patients.
Raymond Grady, President and CEO of franciscan Health Crown Point, announced Friday that the doctor and nurse involved in Wells’ case are no longer employed by the hospital. In addition to the personnel changes, Grady stated that cultural competency training has been mandated for all labor and delivery staff.
“On behalf of Franciscan Alliance and Franciscan Health Crown Point, I apologize to Mrs. Wells and her family for failing to live up to our Franciscan values,” grady said in a released statement. “We are committed to holding ourselves accountable through our actions so that every patient is heard and receives compassionate, equitable care. Any evidence of actions to the contrary will not be tolerated.”
The hospital will also now require that all pregnant patients be examined by a physician before being discharged from the labor and delivery unit. Grady indicated the hospital has reached out to the Wells family and hopes to meet with them personally.
A Six-Hour Wait and a Dismissal
Reader question: – Wells waited six hours at the hospital as contractions intensified. Despite the pain, a nurse allegedly instructed her to return home. Wells’ mother filmed her being escorted out.
Wells recounted her experience,stating she instantly felt something was amiss when she arrived at the hospital and was not directed to a labor and delivery room. Instead, she spent six hours at the facility as her contractions intensified, eventually reaching one minute apart. Despite her pain, she alleges a nurse instructed her to return home.
“I was in excruciating pain. She seen me in pain and agony, and I guess she still perceived me to not be in labor,” Wells explained. “Upon returning to the room she’s like ‘Well, if you aren’t further along in your centimeters then, you know, we gotta send you home.'”
Wells’ mother captured video footage of her daughter being wheeled out of the hospital accompanied by security personnel, further fueling public concern.
A Race Against Time
Wells, a Chicago resident, was visiting Indiana two weeks before her due date when she began experiencing labor pains. She and her husband, Leon, chose Franciscan Health Crown Point as the nearest hospital. After being discharged, Leon wells was driving his wife to another hospital in Munster when their daughter began to emerge.
“In God’s grace, I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t have a medical license or anything to have a baby,” Leon Wells said. Fortunately, Alena Wells was born safely.
Concerns of Racial Bias
The couple, along with their attorney, Cannon Lambert, allege they were mistreated due to their race. During a news conference, Wells stated, “I was stripped of my dignity. As a person, I was treated less than an animal.”
Lambert echoed these concerns, stating, “We can agree a woman is active labor shoudl not be sent away without seeing a doctor.”
As of Friday, Mercedes and Leon Wells have not
