DALTON, Ill. (WAND) - Giving birth can be an exciting experience for a mother, but for Mercedes Wells, it was uncomfortable and scary.
Mercedes and her husband Leon live in Dalton, Illinois. They alerted the closest hospital, Franciscan Health Hospital in Crown Point, Indiana, that she was in labor. The Wells said the nursing staff showed stern faces and no compassion.
"I let her know that my water had broken, and she said, 'Well, sometimes [that] can be normal even when you're not in active labor,'" Mercedes said.
The nurse told Mercedes to walk the halls and wait for an ultrasound. She also handed her a cup, requesting urine for a drug test. As Mercedes walked the halls, her contractions were getting closer and more painful, so the nurse checked her cervix again.
"She said she could feel the baby's head, but the doctor said that I [would] be discharged. I pretty much begged her to let me stay in. I asked about this policy. Do I have to leave? And she said that I did," Mercedes said.
She was wheeled out of the hospital, and Mercedes said multiple nurses ignored her tears and pain. During their 30-minute drive to the nearest hospital, Mercedes had to push. Leon delivered his daughter on the side of the road. The couple's traumatic experience was a call for action, as Congresswoman Robin Kelly announced a maternal health bill — the WELLS Act.
"WELLS Act, named after Mercedes, wants to ensure that this doesn't happen again. And also, racial diversity, racial training, cultural sensitivity is a part of it also because racism is definitely a part of what has been happening in this country," said Kelly.
Kelly's health bill would require all hospitals to have a safe labor discharge plan. The plan aims to protect patients, specifically mothers, from non-clinical discharges. Memorial Health Hospital in Decatur is a good example, with the Obstetrics Department having annual trainings on birth equity and implicit bias.
"This training is really, really vital because, I mean, obviously disparities do occur. And we work very hard here to ensure that they don't occur here in our facility," said Danielle Collins, manager of OB/Peds at Decatur Memorial Health.
Mercedes' pelvic floor is damaged from delivering in the front seat of the car. The baby girl has been having seizures, but the parents are not sure if the baby's condition is related to the birth. Overall, the couple says baby Alena Wells is a blessing, and they are praying for peace during this time.
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