The Mercedes Wells Story

Johnette Cruz
Dec 29, 2025
6 min read

Behind The Filter: Unfiltered Weekly

🎧Welcome back to Behind The Filter Podcast: Unfiltered Weekly, where we dive deep into the most important and viral stories shaping our world. This week, we are bringing you a story that has not only garnered millions of views but has sparked a critical national conversation about systemic failures in healthcare and the specific crisis facing Black maternal health in America.

We sat down with Mercedes and Leon Wells. In November 2025, Mercedes—a thirty-eight-year-old mother—was turned away from Franciscan Health Crown Point in Indiana while in active labor. Discharged despite her obvious pain and her water breaking, Mercedes was forced to give birth in the front seat of her husband’s pickup truck just eight minutes after leaving the hospital.

The Incident: "They Continued to Dismiss Me"

The footage captured by Mercedes’ mother is difficult to watch. It shows Mercedes being wheeled out of the hospital, visibly in distress, while staff members appear indifferent to her agony. During our interview, Mercedes recounted the harrowing moments inside triage:

"The nurse came right in... she said, 'I’m gonna make sure you're less than three centimeters. If so, then he'll let you go.' It was like she was ready to discharge me right away. My water broke in the bathroom... it was obvious I was in active labor and she continued to dismiss me and ignore the facts."

Despite contractions being just one minute apart, the hospital insisted on discharge. Mercedes never even saw a doctor. Leon described the terrifying drive that followed, where he had to multitask between calling 911 and delivering his daughter, Alena, with one hand while holding the steering wheel with the other.

The couple eventually made it to Community Hospital in Munster, where they were met with the compassion they were denied at Franciscan. Staff were waiting outside with blankets and towels, shocked by the treatment the family had just endured.

Systemic Failures: Maternal Health in Indiana

The Wells’ experience is a localized symptom of a much larger crisis in the state of Indiana. As we move into 2026, the statistics remain grim for minority families.

In Indiana, Black women are approximately 3.1 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. This disparity is even more pronounced in Indianapolis, where Black mothers face a 73% higher likelihood of mortality during childbirth. According to 2025 reports, Indiana ranks 38th out of 48 states for maternal mortality, with a rate of 31.4 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Perhaps most devastating is the finding by the Indiana Department of Health that over 80% of these deaths are entirely preventable, often linked to "medical gaslighting" or a failure to recognize emergency signs during labor and discharge.

The "health gap" extends beyond the delivery room. Recent health system data shows that while White Hoosiers rank in the 64th percentile for healthcare quality, Black Hoosiers rank in the bottom 14th percentile. These disparities are compounded by insurance issues; Hispanic and Black residents have significantly higher uninsured rates, leading to delayed care.

Furthermore, Black infants in Indiana die at a rate of 10.9 per 1,000 live births—more than double the rate of White infants.

A National Crisis: Prejudices and Disparities

Nationally, the story is much the same. Approximately 40% of Black women report experiencing discrimination by healthcare providers during pregnancy or delivery. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women, regardless of their income or education level.

Currently, more than 2.2 million women live in "maternity care deserts"—counties with no obstetric providers. This leads to "near-miss" incidents like the one the Wells family experienced. Mercedes and Leon noted that they felt treated "like criminals," with security following them out, a common experience for Black families who feel they must remain in "protection mode" to avoid being labeled as "difficult" or "aggressive" while advocating for their own lives.

Moving Forward: The WELLS Act

In the wake of this tragedy, Franciscan Health CEO Raymond Grady confirmed that the physician and nurse involved were terminated and that cultural competency training is now mandated. However, the impact has reached the federal level.

U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL) has introduced the WELLS Act (Women Expansion for Learning and Labor Safety Act). This legislation aims to:

Require a "Safe Discharge Labor Plan": Hospitals must provide clinical justification for discharge, travel assessments, and transportation verification.
Mandate Racial Bias Training: Healthcare professionals must undergo specific training to correct implicit biases.
Accountability: Ensuring that a patient’s race or status does not dictate the quality of care.

As Mercedes told us: "Trust your body... do your research and have your support system with you."

In response to this incident, a statement from Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady was put out on November 21, 2025:

“The recent video shared on social media does not reflect the values of Franciscan Health Crown Point, which include respect for life and compassionate concern.

Respect for life can be compromised when a mother and baby are prematurely discharged. Thankfully, both mother and baby are reportedly doing well and everyone should celebrate the new addition to this family.

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.

We failed to listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns. As an experienced mother who publicly acknowledged having previously given birth at our hospital with a positive experience, she knew something was not right.

We must fix what failed in our hospital so that no one experiences what happened to Mercedes Wells. After careful review of the care provided to Mrs. Wells, I have taken the following actions.

First, the physician and the nurse directly involved with Mrs. Wells’ care are no longer employed by Franciscan. Secondly, I have mandated cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff. Lastly, all pregnant patients leaving the Labor and Delivery unit will be examined by a physician before they leave the hospital.

On behalf of Franciscan Alliance and Franciscan Health Crown Point, I apologize to Mrs. Wells and her family for failing to live up to our Franciscan values. We are committed to holding ourselves accountable through our actions so that every patient is heard and receives compassionate, equitable care. Any evidence of actions to the contrary will not be tolerated. We’ve reached out to the family and it is my hope to meet in person with them very soon.”

Shortly after the incident another statement was shared following a meeting with the Wells' family:

“I was pleased to meet with the Wells family today. Our goal was simple: to listen to their concerns, take accountability for not living up to our values and to reiterate the swift action we took to prevent their experience from happening again.

As I have said previously, the physician and the nurse directly involved with Mrs. Wells’ care are no longer employed by Franciscan. I have also mandated cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff. In addition, pregnant patients leaving the Labor and Delivery unit will be examined by a physician before they leave the hospital.

After spending time with the Wells family, I am even more confident that we share the same goals, to ensure every patient is heard and receives compassionate, equitable care. As we have shared with Rep. Robin Kelly’s staff, we also support proposed federal legislation that promotes safer, more equitable maternal care nationwide.

We look forward to continuing the conversation with the Wells family and to keeping them informed of the progress of our enhanced cultural competency training as it moves forward.”

with them very soon.

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