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An Indiana hospital has launched an internal investigation after a viral video showed a Black woman giving birth in a truck just minutes after being denied care, per NBC Chicago.
Mercedes Wells said she arrived at Franciscan Hospital in Crown Point just after midnight on Sunday (November 16) with contractions. However, instead of admitting her, Wells said nurses told her she "wasn't progressing" and sent her home hours later with advice to not return until her condition worsened.
“Upon returning to the room, [the nurse was] like, ‘Well, if you’re not further along in your centimeters, then we’ve got to send you home,’” Wells told NBC Chicago.
According to videos shared by husband, Leon, the couple had barely left hospital grounds when Wells went into full labor, forcing them to deliver the baby in the front seat of their truck.
“I saw her pushing … pulled a little bit, baby came out and just didn’t know what to do,” Leon said. “I just prayed.”
Video shows Wells holding her newborn, umbilical cord still attached, just down the street from the hospital that turned them away.
“I was scared,” she said. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Video of the incident sparked widespread outrage on social media.
“This is unacceptable! I’m so sorry you had to go through this,” one Facebook viewer wrote.
“I hate that the hospital took such a joyful and memorable occasion … and turned it into a nightmare for both of you," another person said.
Amid the backlash, Franciscan Hospital released a statement saying “the health and safety of our patients is always our top priority” and confirming that an internal investigation is underway.
The incident has fueled online discussions about Black women being denied or dismissed when seeking urgent maternal care,
Recently, a Black mother in Texas went viral after video showed her being snubbed by a nurse at Dallas Regional Medical Center as she screamed in pain from labor. The woman was reportedly forced to wait in triage for about 30 minutes before being taken to labor and delivery.
“Y’all treat all your patients like this or just the Black ones?” the woman's mother asked the nurse.
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