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| Destination:
Arizona Christina Wood |
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Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “I go to nature every day for inspiration in the day’s work.” In 1927, the famed architect went to Arizona, where the natural landscape gave him plenty to work with. As AAA reports, “Here the terrain seems a willing companion to man’s handiwork: mesas rise from the desert like skyscrapers and pinnacles soar like church spires.” Wright’s remarkable winter home and studio in Scottsdale, Taliesin West, is situated amid the splendor of the Sonoran Desert and incorporates the rugged beauty of the landscape into its design. As Wright wrote, “Our new desert camp belonged to the Arizona desert as though it had stood there during creation.” Long before Wright developed his philosophy of organic design, however, the dramatic landscape influenced those who built their homes in Arizona. Ancient cliff dwellings, such as those sheltered among the sheer red cliffs and canyon walls of Canyon de Chelly National Monument, blend so well with the surroundings that AAA says, “they seem to have sprouted from the precipices they are perched upon.” The buildings that now line the streets of cities such as Tucson, Sedona, and Phoenix reflect the state’s history and its rich natural beauty. Spanish colonial landmarks are carefully preserved; Native-American pueblo architecture adds warmth and color; and many suburbs and shopping centers retain the sprawling charm of the Old West. In Phoenix, sleek high-rise office buildings reflect the growing influence of business and industry on the capital city. But just beyond the city limits, the influence of nature remains one of the most powerful attractions of the Grand Canyon State.
On Duty The Arizona landscape is plentifully dotted with quality hospitals and health care facilities. In 2004, U.S. News & World Report ranked four hospitals in the state among the nation’s best. St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, which opened in 1895, was the first hospital in Phoenix. Today, it ranks ninth in the nation in neurology and neurosurgery, according to U.S. News & World Report. Solucient, a health care consultation company, also ranks it among the nation’s top cardiac hospitals. The Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix ranked 30th in the nation for the treatment of respiratory disorders. The 202-bed facility also ranks well with consumers, taking top honors in Phoenix in the Consumer Choice Awards presented by the National Research Corporation. Banner Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center in Glendale is one of the fastest-growing hospitals in the state and ranks 48th among the country’s leading hospitals in neurology and neurosurgery, according to U.S. News & World Report. University Medical Center, which U.S. News & World Report ranked among the country’s top hospitals in nine different categories, is located in Tucson. The 365-bed nonprofit hospital also earned the respect of many nurses when it capped the nurse-to-patient ratio at 1:4 in all adult med/surg and telemetry units throughout the hospital. University Medical Center is affiliated with the University of Arizona, and the Arizona Health Sciences Center, where the hospital is located, houses the university’s colleges of nursing, medicine, and pharmacy, as well as the School of Health Related Professions. University Medical Center was the first hospital in Arizona to receive the elite Magnet Hospital designation from the American Nurses Association’s American Nurses Credentialing Center. In December 2004, John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain became the second. Solucient also named John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain, a 262-bed not-for-profit community hospital in Phoenix, one of the nation’s top 25 teaching hospitals by Solucient. John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain is designated as a teaching hospital because it includes a three-year family practice residency program, which provides newly graduated physicians with additional in-depth training while working under the supervision of experienced physicians at the hospital.
Despite the appeal of these award-winning facilities, Arizona suffers from a severe shortage of qualified nurses. The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) reports an RN vacancy rate of 16% in the state’s hospitals, a figure that is 5% above the national average. In response to AzHHA-backed legislation requiring universities and community colleges to create a statewide plan to double the number of students graduating from the state’s nursing schools over a five-year period, the Arizona Board of Regents approved a $40.3 million plan submitted by Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona in 2003 to address the state’s acute nursing shortage. The Healthcare Institute at AzHHA also launched its Campaign for Caring in an effort designed to increase interest in health careers in all care settings. In 2004, the Campaign for Caring awarded its first Health Education Program Grants (HEPG). A recent report indicated that the first HEPG recipients, seven Arizona community colleges, succeeded in increasing enrollment and continue to increase nursing education program capacity and bolster licensure exam pass rates. Now, the Campaign for Caring is organizing a grassroots alliance to support expanded capacity in Arizona's nursing education programs. The Arizona Nurses Association is among the health care, education, business, and consumer organizations supporting the Coalition for Arizona RN Education (CARE).
Off Duty If your idea of heaven is a dry desert climate, you’ll love Arizona. Then again, if you’ve always dreamed of watching the seasons unfold high in the mountains, you’re also in luck. Arizona’s landscape is nothing if not diverse. From the Sonoran Desert and the red rocks of Sedona to the ski slopes of the White Mountains, and, of course, to the rim of the Grand Canyon itself, Arizona’s breathtaking landscape issues an almost irresistible invitation to explore. The state’s rich cultural blend, seasoned by legends of the Old West, the vibrant legacy of the state’s Hispanic ties, and the honored traditions of the Native-American tribes whose lands fall within the state’s boundaries, is just as varied as the terrain. When you’re done hiking, camping, climbing, fishing, ballooning, rafting, horseback riding, and hang gliding, you’ll appreciate the front-row seat Arizona offers professional sports fans. Phoenix is home to Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks, the National Basketball Association’s Phoenix Suns, and the National Hockey League’s Phoenix Coyotes. The National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals play in Tempe, and some of the state’s largest crowds turn out for NASCAR and Indy car races at Avondale’s Phoenix International Raceway.
Arizona is great for sports fans, but it’s also for the birds. At least that was the consensus from a nationwide birding contest. According to the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT), Cochise County, located in the southeastern portion of the state, ranked as the “birdiest” inland county in the U.S. andearned an impressive third-place finish in the overall competition with a total of 226 species of birds sighted in a single day. And if you enjoy looking up at birds, you might be into looking higher formore celestial views. Arizona’s seemingly perpetual sunshine translates into hundreds of cloudless nights each year, making it a haven for professional and amateur astronomers. The AOT reports that observatories, planetariums, and even cosmos-themed bed-and-breakfasts are popping up all over the state. Flagstaff, however, remains a favorite destination for stargazers. The city has earned the “International Dark-Sky City” award for its commitment to and success in implementing the ideals of dark sky preservation. Flagstaff also is home to the Lowell Observatory, which is best known for the discovery of Pluto and for gathering the first evidence of the expanding universe. If you have dark yearnings, there is no need to wait for night to fall because Arizona has many caves and caverns. Colossal Cave, outside of Tucson, is one of the largest dry caverns in the world. According to the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau, explorers have yet to find its end. If exploring dark caves isn’t for you, you might enjoy exploring the state’s Indian lands and legacies. The AOT says Arizona is home to 21 different Native American tribes and that the state encompasses more Indian land than any other state in the U.S. From casinos, golf courses, and trading posts to ceremonial dances and historic sites, these lands are rich in opportunities to explore the past and present. One of the best-preserved Native American structures in all of North America, according to the AOT, is Casa Grande, which is located outside the city of Coolidge in the southcentral portion of the state. Casa Grande is one of the biggest prehistoric buildings ever constructed in North America and one of the most mysterious.
In the northeastern region of the state, ruins of Indian villages built between 350 and 1300 are sheltered among the sheer red cliffs and canyon wall caves of Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Tuzigoot National Monument, situated in the low hills of Mingus Mountain, features the rock-walled rooms of the inagua.Phoenix, the state’s capital and, by far, the largest city in Arizona, is surrounded by the glories of the Sonoran Desert. At an elevation of 1,117 feet, Phoenix boasts 325 days of sunshine each year and an average high temperature of 85 degrees. By the time you reach Flagstaff, however, you’ll find winter temperatures in the 15- to 45-degree range and average summer temperatures ranging from 41 degrees to 82 degrees. At an elevation of 7,000 feet, Flagstaff is one of the highest cities in the U.S. Phoenix, the nation’s sixth-largest city, offers amenities many smaller cities simply cannot match. In addition to an impressive lineup of museums, professional sporting events, and golf courses, Phoenix also offers an efficient bus system and a free downtown area shuttle. Two hours north of Phoenix, dramatically hued cliffs and rugged spires of sandstone soar above shadowed canyons and the quaint courtyards, specialty shops, galleries, and fine eateries of Sedona. Many visitors believe Sedona offers more than natural beauty to rejuvenate the spirit. A vibrant community of new age adherents has made Sedona a major center for spiritual seekers, offering them access to a variety of alternative healing practitioners, workshops, and events.
Tucson is one of only a few cities in the U.S. that plays host to a resident symphony, as well as opera, theater, and ballet companies, according to the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau. Spread out across a valley floor surrounded by five mountain ranges, Tucson also has plenty to offer outdoor enthusiasts. The city of approximately 800,000 is located just 64 miles north of the Mexican border. The trip from Tucson to Tombstone used to take two to three days traveling by stagecoach. Today, the trip takes about an hour. Unlike the McLaury brothers, who had the misfortune to face off against legendary lawman Wyatt Earp there in 1881, you’ll probably be glad you made the trip. Today, reenactments of the McLaury’s downfall during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral add a colorful slice of the Old West to a list of Arizona attractions that begins with the Grand Canyon and seemingly has no end.
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