Frances Stout

Frances Stout, R.N., is the chair of the board of the Tohono O’odham Nursing Care Authority (TONCA) in Sells, Arizona. She helped to establish the first skilled-nursing facility for elderly Native Americans for the Tohono O’odham Nation, a federally recognized tribe. Previously, the elderly had to leave the reservation to receive skilled nursing care. With all the proficiencies and expertise gained in her 33-year nursing career, Stout contributed to the creation of the 60-bed skilled-nursing facility, the first of its kind on the Tohono O’odham Nation reservation. She has also helped to create the elder care consortium—a coalition of entities within the Tohono O‘odham Nation that is working to develop formal training programs for health careers and address the wide-ranging issues affecting elderly Native Americans, including transportation, housing and safety. [Source: Minority Nurse]