What the recent TX and IN cases reveal about Black maternal health: What healthcare leaders must do now

Two viral videos. Two different states. Two Black women in clear medical distress whose pain was met not with urgency, but with delay. These incidents, reported by NBC News, are available  here. Both these shocking instances have stirred national attention for good reason. They are painful. They are unacceptable. And they reveal what so many Black birthing people, doulas, and researchers have been naming for decades: too often, Black families are unheard, unseen, or dismissed in the very places meant to keep them safe.

The recent cases in Texas and Indiana follow a pattern many in maternal health recognize. In Dallas, Karrie Jones was visibly in active labor, screaming “Right now!” when asked about her due date. Her family shared that they waited more than 30 minutes before she was admitted. In Indiana, Mercedes Wells labored for hours, only saw one nurse, and was sent home without a physician assessment. Minutes after leaving, she delivered her baby in the car on the side of the road. Wells later said her care made her feel “less than.” Her husband reflected on the terror of what could have happened.

As heartbreaking as these stories are, they are not surprising. They point to deeper systems issues, bias, inconsistent triage practices, communication breakdowns, and gaps in accountability that have been documented for years. Delayed care is not simply a customer service problem. It is a patient safety problem. And it is preventable.

Why policy Matters

In direct response to the Indiana case, U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02) has introduced new federal legislation named after Mercedes Wells, the Wells Act, or Women Expansion Learning and Labor Safety Act.

The Wells Act aims to address systemic failures that contributed to Wells’ traumatic experience and seeks to prevent similar situations nationwide.

Key Element of the Wells Act:

• Requiring hospitals to implement a “safe discharge labor plan,” ensuring no patient in active or early labor is released without appropriate evaluation.

• Mandating racial bias and cultural humility training for obstetric staff, reflecting Rep. Kelly’s long-standing efforts to confront racial disparities.

• Strengthening hospital accountability measures for decisions involving discharge and labor assessment.

• Reinforcing protections for families by ensuring standardized triage protocols are followed consistently.

Rep. Kelly has been a national leader in maternal health. She previously introduced the first comprehensive legislative package focused on preventing maternal deaths and improving outcomes for mothers and babies. Her work is grounded in a troubling reality: Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.

If enacted, the Wells Act would be a major step toward safer, more equitable obstetric care across the country and it aligns directly with the systems-based reforms maternal health experts have urged for years.

How can you help Improve Maternal Healthcare 

One of the most powerful yet underutilized tools hospitals already have is the patient relations or ombudsman office. Families rarely know this resource exists, and in many hospitals, these departments are understaffed or lack authority. But when supported properly, ombudsman systems can intervene long before an incident becomes a crisis.

The role of the ombudsman is designed to protect patients when something doesn’t feel right. These offices handle concerns about communication, safety, discrimination, bias, delays in care, and patient rights. A strong ombudsman team can initiate internal reviews, elevate concerns directly to leadership, ensure proper documentation, recommend staffing or protocol changes, track disparities, and provide families with a safe channel for escalation. In maternal care, where early warning signs can be subtle or subjective, this layer of oversight matters.

Strengthening these systems is also one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways hospitals can improve equity in maternal outcomes. There are several steps healthcare organizations can take now:
• Equip ombudsman teams with training in maternal safety, cultural humility, and bias recognition.
• Require documentation of all delayed-care complaints, even those shared verbally.
• Create clear expectations to escalate immediately when a birthing person expresses distress.
• Ensure families receive transparent follow-up after an investigation.

Policymakers have a role as well. Legislators can require public reporting on maternal-care complaints by race, fund ombudsman staffing in obstetric units, mandate standardized triage protocols, tie bias-reduction training to licensure, and expand Medicaid reimbursement for doula care. When oversight systems are adequately resourced and families know how to use them, safety improves.

Clinicians also hold an essential piece of the solution. These recent cases remind us of simple truths: when a birthing person says they are in pain, believe them. When a family expresses fear, respond. When triage breaks down, escalate. Safety is not only clinical. It is relational, communicative, and systemic.

We stand with families who were ignored and with the clinicians advocating for change. Our work centers on advocacy, improving communication between families and care teams, strengthening hospital systems through the Doula Friendly initiative, elevating patient voice, and supporting models of care that ensure no birthing person’s concerns go unanswered. No one should feel less than human.

Strengthening hospital accountability, especially through empowered, visible, well-staffed ombudsman departments, is a critical step toward restoring trust in maternal care and protecting the families who rely on it.