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torrancememorial.org PULSE | 31 When it first opened its doors in 1925, the Jared Sidney Torrance Memorial Hospital was a 32-bed, Spanish-style structure with rosy tiled rooops, situated on Engracia Avenue. Its found- er was Jared Torrance, a real estate developer who also established the city of Torrance. He died before the hospital's opening in May of 1925. Instead, the ceremony was presided over by his widow, Helena Childs Torrance. She remained a tireless supporter and major benefactor for the rest of her life and was largely responsible for sus- taining the hospital during its first decade. Today, more than 90 years later, the nonprofit Torrance Memorial Medical Center is based at 3330 Lomita Avenue and has grown to 470 beds with the opening of the 390,000-square-foot Lundquist Tower in 2014. Notable expertise in- cludes that of the Hunt Cancer Institute and the Vasek and Anna Maria Polak Breast Diagnostic Center—leaders in Southern California cancer prevention, detection and treatment. Also, never an organization to stop progressing, Torrance Memorial is currently renovating its North Patient Tower, where it will be dedicated to serving fami- lies. Last year, a newly expanded Mother Baby unit opened in the Tower. From the very start, Torrance Memorial set its mission to support its community by offering the most current and effective medical technologies, rendered in a compassionate, caring manner. Fully recognized by its community as the South Bay's finest, Torrance Memorial also has been awarded throughout the decades, including a four-star rating for excellent patient experience, the Magnet® Recognition for Excellence in Nursing and numerous best-hospital lists, most recently ranking as one of the 25 best hospitals in California and the Los Angeles metro area by U.S. News & World Report. Its stroke program has received the Ameri- can Heart Association/American Stroke Associa- tion's Get With e Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, which recognizes the hospital's commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive swi, appropriate treatment based on the latest scientific evidence. e new affiliation with Cedars-Sinai will al- low Torrance Memorial to continue its growth and service to the beautiful South Bay community. Craig Leach, President & CEO Torrance Memorial Torrance Memorial A South Bay Jewel