Torrance Memorial Hospital

Torrance Memorial Hospital has received a $165,000 donation from its support group, the hospital auxiliary. The money, raised primarily through gift shop sales and a baby photo service, is the largest amount ever given to the hospital by the auxiliary. The money will be used for equipment and remodeling of hospital facilities.

Laurie Anderson is one good listener. She has been a volunteer "patient representative" at Torrance Memorial Hospital for 20 years, putting in more then 6,000 hours of service, the equivalent of three years at a full-time job. She visits people in their rooms to see if there are any nonmedical questions she can answer.

The Burn Center at Torrance Memorial Hospital has received a $5,200 donation from the 18-member Hermosa Beach Firefighters Assn. Association President Paul Hawkins said the Fire Department transports burn victims to the center. "We go there frequently enough to make it an important place to support," he said.

For the third consecutive year, Torrance Memorial Hospital has been ranked as one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States. HCIA Inc., a Baltimore-based health care organization, began rating hospitals nationwide three years ago and Torrance Memorial has made the list each year. The organization judges hospitals on clinical, financial and operational performance. "We're a people business and we've been very successful at it," said George Graham, president of the 70-year-old hospital.

Torrance Memorial Hospital raised $50,000 at its annual fund-raising dinner Sept. 18 at the Torrance Marriott hotel, which featured singer Dionne Warwick and a 25-piece orchestra. The money will be used for the hospital's community services programs, including a breast examination training center, speakers bureau, support groups for cancer and burn patients, health seminars and services for the elderly and children. Most programs are free.

The cancer program at Torrance Memorial Hospital has been given three-year approval by the of the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer. The hospital said it received the highest possible rating for a non-teaching hospital from the commission, which was established to encourage hospitals to maintain equipment and staff to provide the best diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The article by Katherine Dyar (Times, Oct. 18) on hospital volunteers was read with much interest by the men and women volunteers at Torrance Memorial Hospital Medical Center. We thought the article was a fine tribute to the special kind of spirit that motivates both men and women to become involved in this important work in our community. We congratulate our fellow volunteer, Forrest Nutter, on becoming the first male president of the Little Company of Mary Auxiliary, and we hope it will encourage other qualified men to explore the rewards of volunteering in all of our South Bay hospitals.

One man died and three others were burned, two critically, in an explosion at Omega Marine Boat Yard in Wilmington. Los Angeles Police Lt. Mike Markulis said three of the men were welding in the hold of a 100-foot schooner when the accident occurred. A colleague pulled out the three injured men, suffering minor burns on the hands. His name was not disclosed. Richard Neal, 40, was taken to St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach, where he died.

A spokeswoman for Torrance Memorial Hospital Medical Center said Wednesday that the hospital is not planning to close its burn center. The statement comes a day after Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana said that he would ask his colleagues to increase lobbying in Sacramento to raise funds to pay for treating uninsured burn patients.

For the third consecutive year, Torrance Memorial Hospital has been ranked as one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States. HCIA Inc., a Baltimore-based health care organization, began rating hospitals nationwide three years ago and Torrance Memorial has made the list each year. The organization judges hospitals on clinical, financial and operational performance. "We're a people business and we've been very successful at it," said George Graham, president of the 70-year-old hospital.

South Bay Hospital, which has been suffering financially in recent years, is losing its single biggest managed-care contract to a Torrance competitor, a move that could cost the Redondo Beach hospital as many as 20% of its patients. But the small 203-bed hospital is now negotiating with other managed-care companies in hopes of bolstering the number of patients it treats.

In the shadow of Torrance Memorial Medical Center, workers are putting the final touches on a refurbished building that embodies a cutting-edge trend in U.S. health care. The trees are planted; the stylish signs are in place. Soon the building will be occupied--not by high-tech laboratories or fancy imaging equipment, but by a group of family practitioners.

The recent discriminatory decision of the Torrance Chamber of Commerce against the Miss Torrance-Beach Cities Pageant is totally inappropriate for such a prominent organization. The pageant is not different from any other local, nonprofit organization. Why in the world is it such a problem to allow young women from outside the city of Torrance to compete for scholarships in Torrance? Next, we will disallow children from other cities to participate in soccer and baseball or use the YMCA, or turn away students who wish to attend Torrance's adult school system or use Torrance's hospitals.

A spokeswoman for Torrance Memorial Hospital Medical Center said Wednesday that the hospital is not planning to close its burn center. The statement comes a day after Los Angeles County Supervisor Deane Dana said that he would ask his colleagues to increase lobbying in Sacramento to raise funds to pay for treating uninsured burn patients.

Fearing that the threatened closure of a burn center at Torrance Memorial Hospital will leave the county with only two similar facilities, Supervisor Deane Dana announced a set of recommendations Tuesday to address the region's latest hospital crisis. It calls for taking steps to increase lobbying efforts in Sacramento. "This facility and this service are vital to our community," Dana said in a motion he plans to introduce next week.

A detailed land-use study will be required before Torrance Memorial Hospital can move ahead with a $14-million project to expand its medical facilities and build a six-level parking structure. Despite protests from hospital officials, the Torrance City Council voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday to study the expansion's potential impact on traffic, parking and growth in the southern part of the city.

Fearing that the threatened closure of a burn center at Torrance Memorial Hospital will leave the county with only two similar facilities, Supervisor Deane Dana announced a set of recommendations Tuesday to address the region's latest hospital crisis. It calls for taking steps to increase lobbying efforts in Sacramento. "This facility and this service are vital to our community," Dana said in a motion he plans to introduce next week.

A detailed land-use study will be required before Torrance Memorial Hospital can move ahead with a $14-million project to expand its medical facilities and build a six-level parking structure. Despite protests from hospital officials, the Torrance City Council voted 6 to 1 on Tuesday to study the expansion's potential impact on traffic, parking and growth in the southern part of the city.

The article by Katherine Dyar (Times, Oct. 18) on hospital volunteers was read with much interest by the men and women volunteers at Torrance Memorial Hospital Medical Center. We thought the article was a fine tribute to the special kind of spirit that motivates both men and women to become involved in this important work in our community. We congratulate our fellow volunteer, Forrest Nutter, on becoming the first male president of the Little Company of Mary Auxiliary, and we hope it will encourage other qualified men to explore the rewards of volunteering in all of our South Bay hospitals.

Torrance Memorial Hospital raised $50,000 at its annual fund-raising dinner Sept. 18 at the Torrance Marriott hotel, which featured singer Dionne Warwick and a 25-piece orchestra. The money will be used for the hospital's community services programs, including a breast examination training center, speakers bureau, support groups for cancer and burn patients, health seminars and services for the elderly and children. Most programs are free.