Guided by Tohono O'odham values and traditions, it shall be the mission of the Tohono O'odham Nursing Care Authority to take ... a leadership role in providing a continuum of care for elder members of the Tohono O’odham Nation and services designed to enhance the physical, spiritual, emotional, social, and intellectual qualities of life for aging O'odham and other members of the Nation in need of skilled nursing care, assisted living and hospice. The Tohono O'odham Nursing Care Authority shall be guided in its mission by the following values: All people deserve to live and die in dignity. Life, death, and dignity are uniquely defined by one's own culture. Health is more than the absence of disease. It is a complete combination of intellectual, physical, psychological, social, and spiritual states which form the condition of wellness we call health. The Tohono O'odham culture is important to the health and well being of the elderly. Elderly members of the Nation should maintain contact with their communities rather than being relocated off the Nation's lands to non-O'odham facilities for health care services. It is essential that health care be delivered in a language the resident understands. Individual autonomy and self-determination of the resident must be respected. Health care should be provided in harmony with the cultural values and customs of the O'odham Himdag. The nursing care facility operated by the Tohono O'odham Nursing Care Authority shall be resource efficient, and, where possible, it shall return resources to the Tohono O'odham Nation. read more