The Service Setting

The arid desert climate, with an average temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, yields an annual rainfall of only 7 inches, received mostly during dramatic late summer storms thundering through the desert. They bring vital watershed, unforgettable skies, and a sign of hope and renewal to the People who have lived here for centuries. The land is flush with ocotillo, cholla, and saguaro cacti--with a backdrop of mesquite and palo verde trees, creosote, devil's claw, and an array of desert flowers.

Human existence in the desert is marked by contrast. While Kitt Peak National Observatory sits high atop a peak on the Tohono O'odham Reservation, the valleys below are dotted with traditional desert dwellings and more modern homes built by the Tohono O'odham Nation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, whose inhabitants continue to live a quiet rural desert life, as their forebears did. Yet, a more urban setting is closer than one might imagine.

Sixty miles east of the Sells Hospital by paved highway lies Tucson, Arizona's second largest metropolitan area, home to nearly 750,000. Tucson, or "The Old Pueblo," is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in North America, steeped in a rich heritage of Indian and Spanish influence. It affords all of Southern Arizona limitless entertainment, recreation, shopping, and cultural opportunities.

Tucson is home to the University of Arizona, numerous medical and research facilities, headquarters for a number of major corporations, and, of course, is a favorite location of the film industry. The area is a favored tourist and retirement center, boasting sunbelt attributes and low humidity, with effortless access to Old Mexico, pine forests, snow sports, and endless sightseeing opportunities . . . all within a setting of natural splendor.