Hospitals have increasingly been closing maternity departments around the country, including in California. Taking a look at the issue of maternity care deserts will be Westmont instructor of nursing Stephanie Curtis in a Westmont Downtown Lecture, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14.

Curtis' free talk, Delivering in the Desert: The Impact of Maternity Ward Closures, will be at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St., in downtown Santa Barbara. No tickets or reservations are required to attend.

Free parking is available on the streets surrounding CAW or in nearby city parking lots. For more information, call 805-565-6051.

Curtis, a certified nurse midwife, who earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Florida, will draw from her personal experiences as a midwife in Central and Southern California. She'll explore how these populations have been affected and the factors that may contribute to the suspension or termination of inpatient maternity care.

Curtis has been an instructor at Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing since 2023.

"This growing problem is a symptom of major issues in health care delivery affecting several facilities that provide maternity services," she said. "It contributes to health care disparities and often leaves those in marginalized communities with even less access to care -- some having to drive 30-40 miles to get to a safe place to deliver their babies."

Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things That Matter is a free lecture series sponsored by the Westmont Foundation, which also sponsors the annual Westmont President's Breakfast in late February.