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In a gripping video that has gained widespread attention, a woman is seen enduring labor pains at a Texas hospital, while her mother claims that the medical staff delayed providing necessary care.
In Dallas County, Texas, Kashena Manuel, soon to be a grandmother, felt her initial shock morph into disbelief. Faced with the situation, she decided to document what she perceived as the unfolding reality by filming her daughter, Kiara, who was in the throes of labor at the Dallas Regional Medical Center located in Mesquite.
“I had to capture everything on video,” Manuel shared, “to show the world what we went through, what my daughter endured, and the struggle my grandson faced just to arrive here. It was the video that made people believe us.”
The events of that night began on November 10, when Manuel recounted that her daughter’s water broke while they were still at home. Acting promptly, they called the hospital and snapped a photo in the car en route, time-stamped at 11:43 p.m., marking the urgency of their journey.
Manuel also noted that Kiara’s contractions were intensifying, adding to the sense of urgency and concern as they headed to the hospital.
“She went from four minutes to the car ride to two minutes apart, so we’re timing them,” Manuel said.
She said they arrived at Dallas Regional Medical Center just before midnight and saw two nurses at the emergency room entrance.
“On the assumption they are waiting on us,” Manuel said. “When she realized my vehicle wasn’t an ambulance, she told me that space was for an ambulance only.”
Manuel told WFAA that she was told to drive around to the opposite side of the hospital. Once she got there, she ran inside for help.
“I was told that there should be a wheelchair outside where the vending machines are,” Manuel said.
She said she went over to the vending machines, but there was no wheelchair. That’s when she said she alerted a nurse, and a nurse had to bring her a wheelchair.
“I said ‘I need assistance with getting her, are you not gonna help me?’ And she politely said ‘no’ and closed the door,” Manuel said.
Instead, she told WFAA that a security guard saw her and went to her car to help bring Kiara inside. She said Kiara was visibly in pain.
“When we opened the door, she was on all fours and she was screaming,” Manuel said.
Once Kiara was inside, Manuel said she went back outside to park her car. When she returned to the emergency room, she said Kiara had not received any additional help.
“I see her parked on the side, isolated, alone. In pain by herself, people behind the desk working as normal, as they didn’t hear her. I walked up to them, and I was like, ‘what are we doing? She’s in active labor, she is about to have that baby,’ and they said. ‘We need the paperwork,’” Manuel said.
A picture with the time stamp of 12:15 a.m. showed Manuel at the emergency room registration window.
“I look over there, she literally had the paper in her hand, arched like a cat, screaming,” Manuel recalled. “I’m like, are you really wanting us to get this, and she’s in labor, and that lady looked at me and she said, ‘The quicker you sign, the quicker we can get her in the back.’”
Manuel began recording her interaction with the staff. In one video, she can be heard asking, “If she has a birth in the chair, that’s what it is?”
A staff member can be heard in the video saying, ‘I can’t take her upstairs without…’ as Kiara is heard screaming.
Manuel can also be heard saying, “So, you’ll take a chance of her having infections and a baby in this chair? So, she’s not a priority.”
Manuel said she had Kiara sign the paperwork and was taken to the triage area.
“She was just weakened,” Manuel said. “She had no power, no control over her body, her words, she was trembling.”
She recorded more videos of Kiara with a triage nurse as the nurse asked questions about Kiara’s medical history. Kiara is seen on video yelling, “It’s in my a**.” Then, she is seen turning around in the wheelchair on her knees.
Manuel said Kiara was taken to Labor and Delivery at 12:29 a.m. She said that was about 30 minutes after they initially arrived at the hospital.
“Soon as they pulled it shorts off, one of the nurses, she just froze,” Manuel said. “At this point, she grabbed his head that filled her hand. He was not crowning. He was birthing, and she begged my daughter not to move.”
At 12:35 a.m., Manuel said Kiara’s son was born.
“It wasn’t about my daughter, her pain, what she went through,” Manuel said. “And worst of all, my grandson, who had no voice, he wasn’t even considered. I was in the emergency room, and it was paperwork over life.”
Manuel said she called the hospital to try filing a formal complaint with hospital management, but after two days, she didn’t hear back. That’s when she decided to post the videos to social media.
“These are stories we hear, and we read all the time. We know they’re happening. But they don’t hear us,” Manuel said. “This is not Black against white. This is a system issue. That hospital. That’s culture.”
WFAA reached out to Dallas Regional Medical Center. They provided the following statement:
“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.”
WFAA also reached out to the nurse seen in the triage video. Her family told us she has been placed on leave and declined to comment until the hospital’s investigation is complete. We have also reached out to her attorney, but due to HIPAA and the ongoing investigation, they chose not to comment at this time.
“This was egregious, egregious deviation from the standard of care,” said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, a nationally known, board-certified OBGYN who has delivered more than 1,500 babies.
“She says that she feels rectal pressure. What should have happened is that woman should have been put on a stretcher; her clothes should have been taken off,” said Dr. Ashton. “I would have done what we call in the hospital setting, filled the boat. I would have had a pediatrician there, an anesthesiologist there, a neonatologist there, if necessary, multiple nurses.”
Dr. Ashton said that the response helps prepare for any possible complications.
“There could have been significant negative consequences to her and her baby because of the care that she did not receive,” Dr. Ashton said. “When someone comes in with a gunshot wound, are they told they have to fill out paperwork? I don’t think so…Not only was it inhumane, but it actually was dangerous.”
WFAA also spoke with twin nurse practitioners, Sharron Allan and Karen Staggers. They have years’ experience in emergency rooms and with deliveries.
“The goal is to do no harm, to look at the patient and to treat the patient,” said Allan, A.L.M.S. Community Health Center co-owner.
“If a woman comes in and she’s pregnant and she’s in active what is called first or second stage labor, usually first stages of labor, that woman is immediately referred to an OB specialist in the hospital,” said Staggers, A.L.M.S. Community Health Center co-owner.
Both nurse practitioners and Dr. Ashton said this incident speaks to a larger issue of maternal mortality in the United States.
“Women are not taken seriously when they are in emergency medical situations, and Black women are especially not taken seriously,” Dr. Ashton said.
“If we don’t advocate for our patient, then who does?” Staggers said.
For Manuel, it was about advocating for her daughter. She said it was difficult as a mother watching Kiara in pain. “Helpless because I couldn’t do anything for her,” Manuel said. “She sits and watches her son, and she would cry because if she moved the wrong way, he would not be here today.”
Manuel said her grandson was born with his eyes open and had a bowel movement during birth. Due to the bowel movement, she said hospital staff had to drain fluid before she was finally able to hold her son. Manuel told WFAA that both Kiara and her son are doing okay.
On Nov. 18, Texas State Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers, Representative Linda Garcia’s office, and other Texas House of Representatives met with the CEO of Dallas Regional Medical Center, Mesquite Mayor and city staff to discuss the incident.
“The recent viral video showing a woman of color in labor at Dallas Regional Medical Center has raised serious and understandable concern throughout our communities. Since the video surfaced, our offices have worked together from the moment the issue came to our attention, and we have heard from many constituents seeking answers.
“This morning, we called a joint meeting in collaboration with Representative Linda Garcia’s office and other members of the Texas House of Representatives and met with the CEO of Dallas Regional Medical Center, the Mayor of Mesquite, and city staff to discuss the incident, its impact on the community, hospital procedures, and the immediate steps being taken.
“The hospital has confirmed that an internal investigation is underway, and we expect full transparency and corrective action to ensure patients receive dignified, timely care. We have also requested that this be the first in a series of ongoing meetings as we continue this very important conversation.”
Representative Garcia released this statement.
“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. 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.
“Earlier today, Representative Rhetta Bowers’ office called a joint meeting in collaboration with our office to meet directly with the CEO of Dallas Regional Medical Center and the Mayor of Mesquite to discuss the incident, the hospital’s policies, and the immediate steps being taken to ensure every patient is treated with dignity, compassion, and timely care.
“As your state representative, my priority is the safety and well-being of my constituents. Our office has heard from constituents who are understandably alarmed and seeking answers. Data from the CDC in 2023 shows that Black women in the U.S. died at a rate nearly 3.5 times higher than white women around the time of childbirth. 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.
“We ask the community for patience as the investigation proceeds, and we reaffirm our commitment to advocating for accountability, equity, and respect in every healthcare setting across our district and our state.
“Should you have any questions, please contact our office for further assistance.”