Less than one week after a woman reported that she was turned away while in active labor, Franciscan Health Crown Point has taken corrective action, including firing the nurse and physician directly involved.
Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady responded to claims by Mercedes Wells, a Dolton woman, that she was told to leave the hospital while in active labor. Wells then had to give birth to her fourth daughter, Alena, in her car while assisted by her husband, Leon Wells.
Mercedes Wells, center, cries during a news conference in Chicago on Nov. 18, 2025. Mercedes Wells was told to leave Franciscan Health Crown Point’s hospital after being in labor for about six hours. (Maya Wilkins/Post-Tribune)
Leon Wells posted multiple videos on Facebook taken by Mercedes Wells’ mother on Sunday, which showed her leaving the hospital, holding her baby in their car and crying while in labor.
“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 his statement. “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.”
Grady also said that the videos do not reflect the values of the hospital, “which include respect for life and compassionate concern.” He added that respect for life can be compromised when a mother and child are prematurely discharged.
In addition to firing the nurse and doctor directly involved with Mercedes Wells’ care, Grady mandated cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff and required that all patients leaving the unit will be examined by a physician before departure.
Franciscan Crown Point is pictured on Jan. 28, 2024. (John Smierciak/Post-Tribune)
“On behalf Franciscan Alliance and Franciscan Health Crown Point, I apologize to Mrs. Wells and her family for failing to live up to our Franciscan values,” Grady said. “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.”
Grady ended his statement by saying that staff has reached out to the Wells family and hopes to meet in person with them soon.
In a Friday phone call with the Post-Tribune, Leon Wells reacted to the statement and said he hasn’t heard from Franciscan yet.
“This would make it a little less likely that another woman would go through what my wife went through,” Leon Wells said. “This work should be done. It’s changes that need to be made.”
The couple’s attorney, Cannon Lambert, responded to Franciscan’s news in a Friday statement.
“The right move,” Lambert said. “What about the employees that stood around and watched? Will they be disciplined?”
During a Tuesday morning news conference, Lambert said the family has yet to file a lawsuit because they wanted to speak with the health system first to learn how to proceed. The Wells family said Tuesday that they want a meeting with Franciscan administrators, the nurse to be fired and for the health system to review their protocols.
The couple was traveling in Northwest Indiana when Mercedes Wells went into labor, according to Post-Tribune archives, and they went to the Crown Point hospital because it was closest. Mercedes Wells gave birth to Alena about two weeks before the baby’s due date.
The couple arrived at the Crown Point hospital at about midnight and were told to leave at about 6:20 a.m.
Upon arrival, her contractions were about 10 minutes apart, Mercedes Wells said, and the contractions continued to come closer together throughout her time at Franciscan Health Crown Point.
When she was told to leave, the nurse told Mercedes Wells that she wasn’t far enough along, citing orders from a doctor that the couple never saw while at Franciscan Health Crown Point.
About eight minutes after leaving the hospital, Mercedes Wells gave birth to Alena in their car. The couple then went to Community Hospital in Munster for care afterward, where Mercedes Wells said the experience was positive.
