Torrance Memorial Medical Center

Torrance Memorial Medical Center is a private hospital located in Torrance, California. Torrance Memorial Medical Center is a Magnet designated facility recognized by the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice. Torrance Memorial was the first hospital in the Los Angeles South Bay region, and is currently one of just three burn centers in Los Angeles County.HistoryTorrance Memorial was founded by the estate of Jared Sidney Torrance in 1925. Throughout the Great Depression, the hospital operated as a non-profit, providing essential care services to the South Bay area. During this time, the hospital was primarily sustained by Mr. Torrance’s wife, Helena Childs Torrance, who donated hospital equipment, supplies, and funds.Over the first decade of operation, Torrance Memorial staff provided care to 10,711 patients and delivered 1,701 babies. In 1947, an additional wing was added to the hospital, along with 23 more beds, all of which were immediately occupied. That same year, Torrance Memorial was rated Class A by the American College of Surgeons, becoming the first of its kind in the region. Torrance Memorial was a local leader in the uniform revolt, allowing nurses to wear colored pansuits as uniforms, rather than the traditional white dress.In 1967, Torrance Memorial merged with the smaller Riviera Community Hospital. The hospital moved to its current site (adjacent to Zamperini Field, the Torrance municipal airport) in 1971. In 1973, the hospital opened a laminar airflow room, which was a new technology that provided high-level sterility for surgical procedures, including open-heart surgery, hip replacements, and neurosurgical procedures. Torrance Memorial was the first hospital in the South Bay to provide ultrasound technology to patients and opened South Bay's first blood donor center.