A Black couple from Illinois was discharged from an Indiana hospital while the mother was in active labor, forcing a roadside birth.
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Parents Mercedes and Leon Wells, a Black couple from Illinois, are looking for answers after they said they were discharged from Franciscan Health Crown Point Hospital in Indiana while Mercedes was in active labor, forcing her to give birth to their daughter on the side of the road.
In an interview with ABC News Live, Mercedes said she never saw a doctor in the six hours she was at the hospital, only a nurse. When she arrived, her contractions were 10 minutes apart, but a nurse told her she was not dilated enough and would be discharged if her labor didn’t progress.
Having given birth before, Mercedes, a Dolton resident, said she could recognize that she would give birth soon, with her contractions becoming more frequent and the pain getting worse.
“She checked me and told me I was 3 centimeters apart. And then she said, ‘I’ll come back and I’ll check you again. And if you haven’t progressed, we’ll send you home,'” Wells told ABC. “I told her, ‘I can’t go home. I’m about to have this baby soon.'”
Cellphone video showed Mercedes, wiping away tears, as she was being wheeled out of the hospital. She said she was discharged even though her contractions were only a minute apart, Fox Chicago reported.
On the drive home, she told Leon that she wouldn’t make it to another hospital and would have to give birth in the car.
The couple said they are grateful that their daughter Alena was delivered safely on the side of the road and is healthy, but that their treatment at the hospital was discriminatory and dangerous, according to Fox Chicago. They have hired an attorney and say they aren’t seeking money, but major changes at the hospital.
In a statement, Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady said the physician and nurse directly involved in Mercedes’ care are “no longer employed” at the hospital following an investigation.
Grady said 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.”
Going forward, Grady announced the hospital will take several steps to prevent similar incidents from happening, including mandatory cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff. A new policy will also require that a physician examine every pregnant patient before discharge.
Rachel started working at Patch in 2022, covering Los Angeles County's South Bay region and Long Beach. During her time as a Los Angeles reporter, Rachel covered a variety of topics. In Spring 2025, Rachel transferred to Patch's team of reporters in Illinois and now covers communities in Chicago's North Shore, including: Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest and Highland Park. Pitches are welcome over email at rachel.barnes@patch.com. Please be respectful.
