*An Indiana woman reportedly gave birth on the side of a road after her family says she was discharged from the hospital while in active labor.
As ABC News reports, Mercedes Wells was told by staff at Franciscan Health Crown Point Hospital in Crown Point to return home and wait for her labor to progress. Eight minutes later, she delivered her baby outside the hospital.
Wells’ husband, Leon, assisted in the delivery inside their truck. Her sister-in-law, Cherise Thompson, described the moment to WLS: “He grabbed, like, a blanket, and then, put the baby on Mercedes’ chest, my niece on her chest, and drove the rest of the way to the hospital, to Munster Community.”
Thompson said Mercedes repeatedly told hospital staff she was in active labor. “Mercedes begged her. She begged her,” Thompson alleges about the nurse assisting Wells. “She said, ‘I’m really in active labor. I can feel it, contractions as I walk. I mean my pain. I’m telling you; I can feel it.’ And she just ignored her.”
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Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady told ABC News the incident is under investigation. “We are grateful to learn from online and media reports that both mother and child are reportedly doing well,” Grady said. “We understand the concern this has raised. The video is just one part of the information we are reviewing as part of a thorough investigation into this alleged incident.”
He emphasized that patient privacy laws limit the hospital’s ability to comment, but insisted the situation does not reflect the institution’s values.
“It is important to note that the videos and the narrative surrounding them do not accurately represent Franciscan Health Crown Point’s Catholic healthcare ministry’s values, which include respect for life, compassionate concern and Christian stewardship,” Grady said.
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