Dolton mom turned away by Crown Point doctor is back in hospital with post-birth issues

A Dolton woman is back in the hospital days after she gave birth in a truck on the side of the road after being told by staff at a northwest Indiana hospital to leave, according to her family.

Mercedes Wells is hospitalized for post-birth issues at Community Hospital in Munster after she was told to leave Franciscan Health Crown Point, her brother-in-law Lance Thompson said.

Wells gave birth to her fourth daughter, Alena, in a pickup on the side of the road just eight minutes after staff discharged her while she was in active labor, her family wrote on social media last week. A nurse told them that she wasn’t far enough along to stay at the hospital, citing orders from a doctor Wells hadn’t seen, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“This has definitely taken a toll on our family, and it’s draining emotionally,” Thompson told the Chicago Tribune. “Knowing that this is constantly on social media and the news, we’re feeling her pain, and we’re trying to have empathy and sympathy for them and the situation.”

The doctor and nurse who were directly involved in Wells’ case were fired from Franciscan Health, the hospital’s president and chief executive, Raymond Grady, announced shortly after the incident. The hospital altered its policy for discharging pregnant patients and mandated additional training.

“Compassionate concern is absent when a caregiver fails to listen to a patient who is clearly in pain and vulnerable. The video was difficult to watch,” Grady said in a statement. “We must fix what failed in our hospital so that no one experiences what happened to Mercedes Wells.”