[Providence] – Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance will be honored Friday for their success in saving lives by working with families to donate the organs of loved ones who have died unexpectedly.

The two Providence Health & Services medical centers will receive the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Silver Medal of Honor for achieving organ donations rates that meet standards of excellence. The two hospitals are among 22 throughout the seven-county area of Southern California served by OneLegacy, the federally approved nonprofit organization that coordinates organ transplants in the region.

The hospitals will be recognized officially in Grapevine, Texas, at this weekend’s seventh National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice.

Providence Holy Cross, home to one of the region’s busiest trauma centers, instigated the recovering of 93 organs representing an 80 percent rate of success working with donor families. Providence Little Company of Mary Torrance was credited with 28 successful transplants, an 84.6 percent rate. Neither hospital performs organ transplants, but notifies OneLegacy of potential donors. OneLegacy works with hospital physicians, nurses and other clinicians to counsel families and, if approved, to coordinate the procedures.

The HHS Medal of Honor is awarded in three categories – gold, silver and bronze – to hospitals with organ donation rates that meet standards for excellence. The clinical achievements indicate the hospitals have integrated practices of donation in their standard procedures so more lives can be saved through organ transplants.

Out of 48 hospitals in OneLegacy’s service area that met the criteria to be considered for medals, 22 were recognized. Among them, and in collaboration with OneLegacy, 376 organ donations were facilitated during a 24-month measurement period, resulting in 1,242 transplants for people in need of this life-saving procedure.

“Thanks to the generosity of donor families and registered donors, our collaboration with hospitals and transplant centers, and the skill of OneLegacy’s donation professionals, we are answering the needs of the nearly 115,000 people nationwide who await life-saving transplants,” said Tom Mone, executive vice president and chief executive officer of OneLegacy.

OneLegacy is the nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ and tissue donation in the seven-county greater Los Angeles area. With 200 hospitals, 11 transplant centers and a diverse population of 19 million, OneLegacy is the largest of the 58 federally designated organ recovery agencies in the U.S. and in the world. Those wishing to make the commitment to donate may register online at www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org.

About Providence Health & Services

Providence Health & Services, Southern California, is a Catholic, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing quality and compassionate health care and reaching out to the poor and the vulnerable in the communities it serves. Providence California operates five acute care medical centers in the Los Angeles area providing a full continuum of healthcare services: Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Tarzana Medical Center, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. The region also has numerous ancillary facilities including Hospice care, long-term care, numerous outpatient clinics and Providence High School in Burbank. For information, visit providence.org.