(The Dallas Examiner) – A viral video recently revealed a Black woman in active labor sitting in the emergency waiting room triage, screaming and moaning as the nurse conducted her intake.

The woman arrived at Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite Nov. 10. Instead of being taken to labor and delivery, she remained in the waiting room for 30 minutes, according to the post.

The video is taken during triage, as the nurse leisurely asked her several question, rarely looking at the woman in labor as she’s writhing in pain.

“Y’all treat all your patients like this or just the Black ones?” the woman’s mother asked the nurse.

In response, the nurse began repeating a question that were previously answered.

“I’ll bet y’all listen next time,” her mother stated. “When you found out you were delivering at this hospital, your *** should have changed doctors.”

The woman delivered her son 12 minutes later.

Days later, the baby’s grandmother announced that the baby was home and doing well. However, there were some concerns.

“He was born with his eyes open and due to the stress and trauma that occurred in the triage area, the baby had a bowel movement in mom and the fluid was green,” the grandmother noted.

A stressful labor can cause a fetus to pass its first bowel before birth. It’s called meconium and contains cells, fats and proteins that accumulates in the fetal intestines during pregnancy, according to the National Institute of Health.

The baby boy’s physician is concerned because meconium fluid can cause various complications. Meconium in the eyes is commonly treatable. However, it could indicate that the infant inhaled the meconium, which could lead to serious respiration problems that require immediate medical care.

The baby boy underwent a series of tests and had to undergo more testing since leaving the hospital.

“He has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow at the pediatric center. It’s a lot of concerns. They took tests on him. He’s gonna have to go through several other tests down the line because he was born with his eyes open,” his grandmother reported online.

A call for action

After learning about the incident, Rep. Rhetta Bowers’ office, in collaboration with Rep. Linda Garcia’s office called a joint meeting with Josiah De La Garza, CEO of Dallas Regional Medical Center and Mesquite Mayor Daniel Alemán Jr. to discuss what took place, the hospital’s policies and immediate changes to ensure all individuals are treated with “dignity, compassion and timely care,” according to a media statement from Garcia.

“In light of the recent viral video showing a woman in labor at Dallas Regional Medical Center, we want our community to know that we take this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Garcia said. “The circumstances depicted are deeply concerning and warrant immediate attention. We have been working to get more information since the moment this issue came to our attention.”

She noted that the hospital confirmed it is conducting an internal investigation. They await the results of a thorough review and corrective action.

“At Dallas Regional Medical Center, the safety, dignity, and well-being of our patients are always our highest priorities. 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. Due to patient privacy laws, we cannot share further details at this time, but our focus remains on ensuring that every patient receives the attentive, respectful care they deserve,” hospital representatives said in a public statement.

Garcia wrote that her office has received multiple calls from concerned citizens wanting answers and solutions.

“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. Our office will also be sharing further community updates, taking additional action as the facts develop and the investigation progresses, and continuing to meet with Dallas Regional Medical Center,” she wrote.

Meanwhile in Indiana

Another video that went viral over the weekend showed a Black woman in active labor being wheeled out of Franciscan Hospital in Crown Point, Indiana, Saturday just after 6 a.m.

“They said I wasn’t progressing,” Mercedes Wells said as tears poured down her face.

They said the nurses told them to return if her condition worsened. Her husband, Leon Wells said he was shocked and couldn’t believe what was happening.

As they drove away, only a few minutes from the hospital, Leon Wells helped his wife give birth to their baby daughter in their truck. Photos taken immediately after the delivery showed Mercedes Wells holding her newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached.

The post noted that infant and mother are now doing well.

Days later, the couple hired an attorney and is demanding policy changes to prevent hospital staff from refusing care to any women in labor again.

The comments

Since the video posted, other videos of neglect and cruelty have been uploaded in the comments. The registered nurse, who has been identified as Lacrista Vaughn, is seen in at least two videos where family members and onlookers have expressed concern about how an African American woman was being treated or neglected.

Another video shows a Black woman in active labor at an unknown hospital, screaming through back-to-back contractions as the nurses refuse to administer an epidural until just before she delivered.

Systemic complications

About 30% of Back women who have been pregnant reported experiencing mistreatment from medical staff while pregnant or in labor. And about 45% do not question their care or complain, according to the Center for Disease Control.

Of the 50,000 women who suffer from complication during pregnancy or delivery, at least 30-35% are Black women, according to the CDC.

In Texas and across the country, Black women are twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications – including childbirth – as White women. At least 80% are preventable, according to the NIH. Implicit bias was listed as one of the many risk factors.

“The history of racism within health care must be understood to dismantle institutionalized racism in health care systems and to create policies that protect Black women. Social and systemic changes are imperative to reduce Black maternal morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the stark differences in reproductive health outcomes for Black women necessitate an increased focus on the intersectional roles of racism, discrimination and other social determinants of health in influencing disease and mortality risk,” noted researchers in Listen to the Whispers before They Become Screams: Addressing Black Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the United States, a study published by the NIH.

Researchers suggested the following:

• Curriculum focusing on implicit bias in medical care.
• Promote cultural awareness and health equity.
• Diversity in the medical workforce to include more women and minorities.
• Explore the impact of environmental and occupational exposures – including pollution, police brutality and structural racism in the workplace – on maternal complications and deaths.
• Explore social factors impacted by structural racism that can impact a maternal health, such as access to quality care, confidence in medical staff, quality of food available, education, employment, etc.
• Improve medical policies and procedures, especially those that impact underserved populations.

“Another way to address structural racism in birth outcomes through policymaking is to expand access to care in terms of health insurance to include coverage for nonhospital care, doula care, and labor and delivery classes,” the report stated.