House Call 

Dr. Lucinda Canty, associate professor of nursing, didn’t know she wanted to become a nurse midwife until she was a senior nursing student, when she witnessed a nurse midwife aid a woman giving birth in a hospital hallway. That event set her on her journey as a nurse, educator, and researcher. Dr. Canty is a busy person—in addition to teaching, she directs the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing’s Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program, which provides scholarships, mentoring, and peer-to-peer support for aspiring nursing students from diverse backgrounds. She was featured in the recent documentary Everybody’s Work: Healing What Hurts Us All, which shares the stories of nurses of color who are working to break down structural racism in the health care field. But her dream project, now a reality, is Lucinda’s House, which she founded in 2022 to address racial disparities in maternal health—and to provide a much-needed source of community. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pregnancy-related death is three times more common among Black patients than white patients. Dr. Canty, who radiates kindness and enthusiasm as she talks about her work, interviewed Black women who’d had life-threatening pregnancy complications. “I wanted to understand what put us at risk,” she says, “but I couldn’t do that without understanding our experiences.” Through her research, she discovered that her patients needed health information, mental health support, and strong relationships with their providers—and she intended to deliver those things. “I didn't want to be another person coming in, doing research, and leaving, because for me, this is my everyday experience.” 

So, she founded Lucinda’s House, an initiative whose mission is to provide advocacy, education, and support to birthing people of color. With limited financial resources, she drew upon her own knowledge and experience as a nurse midwife, while tapping into the local community of doulas, lactation consultants, and other providers in the Springfield area. Trusting those existing resources is a key tenet of what Lucinda’s House stands for—drawing on the existing strength and knowledge in communities of color. 

While not a physical building, Lucinda’s House makes room for the voices and lived experiences of birthing people of color through discussion and support groups on a variety of topics, covering not only prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care but also infertility and pregnancy loss. It offers educational presentations and events like community baby showers. In addition, Dr. Canty recently started an initiative to donate books on maternal health to local libraries to increase free access to current and reliable information. 

Dr. Canty also works with women on an individual basis, answering questions and offering guidance. “They say, ‘Because I spoke to you, I was able to ask the questions I needed to ask. I was able to get through something I thought I wouldn’t be able to get through,’” Dr. Canty says. “For me, the most important part is that I don't want people to feel alone.”  

In the future, Dr. Canty hopes to make the virtual home that is Lucinda’s House a physical place to host classes and support groups, as well as offer free-of-charge space for providers such as doulas or lactation consultants to meet with clients. And the groundswell of support she’s received so far bodes well for fulfilling that hope. “Lucinda’s House is something that was a dream that I thought would take years to happen,” she says, “and it’s happened, and it grew very quickly.” 

Dr. Canty has big dreams for the wider field of nursing as well. She says that nurses are at the center of “everything when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth or postpartum,” so they are uniquely positioned to change the culture of medicine. “My dream is for any patient, any woman, any family, any birthing person that comes in for care to feel safe and supported,” she says. “Celebrate who [patients are] in front of you.” 

Watch the trailer for Everybody’s Work: Healing What Hurts Us All  

Lucinda Canty photo by Norman Oates Photography