Two Black women said they were denied immediate medical attention despite being minutes away from giving birth.
The incidents, which happened days apart in different states, highlight long-standing disparities in health outcomes for Black women, health experts say.
In a TikTok video that has gone viral, Texas resident Karrie Jones can be seen screaming while a nurse at Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite asks a series of intake questions, including her due date.
“Right now,” Jones yells as she writhes in pain in a wheelchair.
Jones’ mother, who took the video on Nov. 11, can be heard asking the nurse whether she treats all patients in the same manner “or just the Black ones.” The nurse does not respond.
In another video posted online, her mother says she asked hospital staff members whether they could move Jones into labor and delivery, as she was in visible distress. “She said no, I have to fill out all this paperwork.”
Jones’ family say they waited more than half an hour before she was admitted. Jones’ mother declined to comment at this time.
‘It’s hurtful’
Less than a week later in Crown Point, Indiana, Mercedes Wells rushed to Franciscan Hospital when her contractions were 10 minutes apart, she told NBC News.
Familiar with labor pains as a mother with three kids waiting at home in Illinois, Wells knew the contractions meant her fourth baby could arrive soon.
After six hours and a checkup from the nurse, Wells said, she was sent home without ever having seen a doctor.
“They didn’t give me a chance, give my husband a chance, to warm up the truck,” she said.
Her husband, Leon, recounted that while he was driving, “I actually see the baby’s head. I see the baby’s head right there. I’m like, Oh, my gosh. I pull over.”
Eight minutes after Wells and her husband got into their truck, Wells gave birth while they were parked on the side of the road.
“It was really a horrific situation to be treated like a dog, or not even like a dog, like less than,” Wells said.
“It says that they don’t care at all for Black women in health, and it’s hurtful,” she said later. “We thought that, you know, things have changed at this point in our country, and I don’t see a change.”
Her husband said he worried he could lose both wife and child in labor.
“The ‘what ifs’ kind of gets me messed up as a man and as a protective, as a husband,” he said. “It was very hard to see my wife go through the situation.”
In a statement, Dallas Regional Medical Center said, in part, that it prioritizes “the safety, dignity, and well-being of our patients.”
“We are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care to every person who comes through our doors, and we are reviewing this situation to understand what occurred,” the statement said.
Franciscan Hospital said it is conducting a thorough investigation into how staff members are alleged to have treated Wells, adding, in part, that “the videos and the narrative surrounding them do not accurately represent the hospital’s values.”
Maternal mortality disparities
The maternal mortality rate for Black women in the United States is significantly higher than for other racial groups. Black women are three times likelier to die from childbirth than white women, with 50 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with 14.5 deaths for white women, 12 deaths for Latinas and 10 for Asian women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Black babies are likelier to die and to be born prematurely, which could contribute to health issues later in life, according to the CDC.
“That’s one of the starkest disparities in all of medicine, and most of these deaths are preventable. Delayed care — exactly what we saw in the videos — is one of the biggest contributors. And so for me, this isn’t an isolated moment,” said Dr. Joel Bervell, a physician and social media personality who spoke out about the videos.
“It’s impossible to ignore the statistics that back up that Black women are treated differently in the health care system,” he added.
Under a 1986 law called the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, staff members in emergency departments must stabilize patients who appear to be in active labor. But the definition of active labor can be subjective, said legal analyst Angela Cenedella, a lawyer who is not representing Jones or Wells. A patient can be turned away if a medical professional decides labor is not imminent.
“In those cases, if things do just change rapidly and a baby does come out faster than expected, that’s not necessarily a liability of the hospital. … That’s really where the subjectivity exists,” she said, adding that if hospital staff members are negligent in decision-making “and don’t make decisions based on a reasonable standard of medical care, then there’s always a possibility for liability.”
‘This should not happen to people’
The Wells family has retained a lawyer, who has been in contact with hospital officials, NBC Chicago reported.
Texas lawmakers told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth they are meeting with hospital administrators about Jones’ treatment.
“We will continue monitoring the investigation closely, maintain communication with hospital leadership, and work collaboratively to help restore trust and ensure that every person in our community receives fair and appropriate medical care,” state Rep. Linda Garcia, a Democrat whose district includes part of Mesquite, said in a statement on social media.
While the incidents have now been seen by millions, the moments for Wells remain intimate and raw.
“I was actually watching [the Texas] video while in the labor and delivery room,” Wells said. “I didn’t think that it was about to happen to me.”
She added: “It shouldn’t happen to any woman. I don’t care race, ethnicity, anything, none of that should matter. This should not happen to people.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
