Earlier this week, a pregnant Chicago woman was discharged from an Indiana hospital while in labour. Her contractions were just a minute apart, and she gave birth in a car eight minutes later. A Facebook post from her husband went viral, sparking outrage.

Now, the doctor and nurse directly involved in the woman’s care are no longer employed by the hospital, Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady said in a statement Friday.

He also promised mandatory cultural competency training for delivery staff and that pregnant patients must be examined by a physician before they leave the hospital.

“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,” Grady said in a statement. “Respect for life can be compromised when a mother and baby are prematurely discharged. … 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.”

Mercedes Wells spent nearly six hours at Franciscan Health Crown Point, where her contractions began coming one minute apart, before she was told she was being discharged.

Wells was on her way to another hospital in Munster, Indiana, when roughly eight minutes later her husband, Leon, delivered their baby on the side of the road. According a recent post on Facebook, the baby, Alena, is doing well.

At a news conference Tuesday, the Wells family demanded Franciscan Health Crown Point be held accountable for the actions that led up to Wells being refused medical care.

“I just don’t understand how, as a licensed health care worker, you could turn someone to the door to leave that’s in excruciating pain,” Wells said. “I was stripped of my dignity as a person because I was treated less than an animal.”

Her attorney, Cannon Lambert, questioned how Wells was turned away on supposed doctor’s orders, despite her never having been being seen by a doctor.

“Can we agree that a woman in active labour should not be sent away without first being seen by a doctor?” Lambert said.

“We failed to listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns,” Grady said in his statement, which included an apology on behalf of the hospital. “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.”

Grady said the hospital took several 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 labour and delivery staff. Lastly, all pregnant patients leaving the Labor and Delivery unit will be examined by a physician before they leave the hospital.”

Lambert on Friday questioned why it took nearly a week to let the doctor and nurse go. He challenged the hospital’s commitment to accountability, saying that “reacting to public outcry is not accountability.” He also said he believes onlookers who work at the hospital and failed to intervene should be disciplined.

According to Lambert, the Wells family “have said themselves that they feel like it’s a slap in the face that it took this long. It’s insulting that it took this long. It’s also insulting that in this statement (from the hospital) they suggest they’ve spoken with the family when the administrators have not spoken to them at all.”

Lambert hopes to get in contact with administrators at the hospital to collaborate on what next steps look like.

The incident sparked conversations around medical racism experienced by Black women in the U.S. as it came just days after a pregnant woman in Texas had medical care delayed.

In a viral TikTok video, Karrie Jones was seen in triage answering questions while screaming in pain while in labour. Jones was denied care for 30 minutes before finally getting into a room where she delivered her baby 12 minutes after being seen.

The videos resulted in public backlash against the two hospitals where the incidents took place. (NBC Chicago)