A northwest Indiana hospital fired a nurse and physician after an Illinois woman and her husband were sent home, forcing her to deliver their child on the side of a highway.
Franciscan Health Crown Point president speaks out after firing two staff members
According to Fox 32 Chicago, Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady announced Friday that the physician and nurse directly involved in the incident regarding 38-year-old Mercedes Wells are “no longer employed” following a “careful review” of the matter.
Grady issued a public apology to Mercedes, stating that the hospital “failed to listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns” and that “compassionate concern is absent when a caregiver fails to listen to a patient who is clearly in pain and vulnerable.”
Grady introduced measures to prevent similar cases, including mandatory cultural competency training for labor and delivery staff and a new policy requiring physicians to examine every pregnant patient before discharge, according to Fox 32 Chicago.
“We must fix what failed in our hospital so that no one experiences what happened to Mercedes Wells,” Grady said.
What happened to Mercedes Wells?
The incident happened earlier in November when Mercedes and her husband, Leon, called Franciscan Health Crown Point hospital to alert them that they were in active labor, per Fox 32 Chicago.
They arrived at the hospital early Saturday morning and spent more than six hours there. Before Mercedes was discharged, her water broke. At the time, a nurse told her she was not dilated enough, and no physician had evaluated her. The couple eventually left the hospital.
Leon then drove toward Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, when Mercedes realized that the baby was coming. She went into labor on the side of the highway and Leon ended up delivering their baby girl, Alena, inside their truck without any medical assistance.
‘It’s sad that we had to go through this’
Since then, baby Alena is reportedly doing well. Mercedes reflected on the situation and noted that this is a pressing issue affecting women nationwide.
“I’m glad they made those moves to move forward in disciplining the women that was involved. However, we’re not done,” Mercedes said, Fox 32 Chicago reported. “I mean, this really, this is an issue that’s worldwide. So it’s just, it’s a lot to be done.”
Leon echoed similar concerns, stressing that the worst could have happened to both Mercedes and the baby, but through his faith in God, he was able to help his wife and daughter during a chaotic situation.
“It’s sad that we had to go through this. A lot could have happened. You know, like I said, I have no prior training. I don’t know what I was doing. By God’s grace, he gave me the ability to deliver my baby safely and get there safely and not freak out,” Leon said, according to Fox 32 Chicago.
The Wellses initially hired an attorney not for financial gain, but to push for changes at the hospital to prevent this from happening to other women.
“They should make a public apology, unequivocal in nature, saying, we apologize that this happened, we know it was wrong,” attorney Cannon Lambert said, according to Fox 32 Chicago. “Two, they should have the administrators of the hospital, the people who make policy and then actually put policy into place, meet with the family. And then three, we should talk about what sorts of remedies need to be put in place for this family.”