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The Gritty Nurse

The Gritty Nurse is back, and NO TOPIC is off-limits! Launching in September 2025 with host Amie Archibald Varley, this podcast is dedicated to amplifying the voices of nurses and others who work in healthcare to explore the most pressing issues they face. Join Amie as she continues to take a deep dive into powerful and often uncomfortable topics. Though shared experriences, storytelling and the discussions surrounding the intersection of power, we will navigate the challenges facing healthcare nationally and internationally--as of course--challenge the status quo. The show's core belief remains unwavering: that compassion is the through understanding diverse narratives and perspectives is KEY. Amie will continue to explore hot-button issues like mental health, social justice, women's health, and the daily challenges within the nursing profession. The Gritty Nurse is more than just a podcast—it's a community where nurses and healthcare workers can feel heard, empowered, and recognized as the community leaders they truly are. Change is HERE.
  1. All Episodes
  2. Screaming to be Heard: The Urgent Fight to Save Black Moms and Their Babies (Karrie Jones and Mercedes Wells Horrifying Experinces with Birth in the US)

Screaming to be Heard: The Urgent Fight to Save Black Moms and Their Babies (Karrie Jones and Mercedes Wells Horrifying Experinces with Birth in the US)

Nov 20, 2025

Two Black women. Two different states. One shared, terrifying experience: being ignored by the very people sworn to care for them.

Why are Black women in 2025 still screaming to be heard? In this episode of The Gritty Nurse, Amie Archibald-Varley, a former L & D nurse and Maternal Health Expert (Masters in Women's Health) breaks down the viral birth stories of Karrie Jones (Dallas) and Mercedes Wells (Indiana)—two harrowing cases of medical racism & gaslighting that have shaken the nursing & medical world. We analyze the 54-million-view footage, dissect the latest maternal mortality stats, and discuss actionable steps for nurses to become better allies.

From Karrie’s screams being dismissed during intake to Mercedes being discharged only to give birth in her car eight minutes later, we are breaking down exactly what went wrong. We discuss the failure of the nurse and nursing teams, the weaponization of hospital policies, and the "weathering" effect that is keeping Black maternal mortality rates 3.5x higher than white counterparts.

In this episode, we cover:

  • The Receipts: A minute-by-minute breakdown of the viral videos from Dallas Regional and Franciscan Health.

  • The Stats: Why 2025 data shows the gap is widening for Black maternal morbidity.

  • Medical Racism &  Medical Gaslighting 101: How nurses can spot implicit bias in real-time and the "fight languages" needed to advocate for patients.

  • The Momnibus Act: An update on the legislative fight for health equity.

Key Takeaways for Nurses:

  1. Pain is Subjective, Vital Signs Are Not: If a patient says the baby is coming, believe them.

  2. Documentation is Defense: How patients are using video to protect themselves when the chart doesn't tell the whole story.

  3. Silence is Complicity: Your duty to intervene when a colleague dismisses a patient.

Resources & Links:

Join the Conversation: Have you witnessed medical gaslighting on your unit? Share with me your stories!

#GrittyNurse #BlackMaternalHealth #KarrieJones #MercedesWells #NurseTwitter #HealthEquity #MedicalGaslighting #NursingEducation #PatientAdvocacy