L.A. County’s Trauma Center System Partners with OneLegacy to Celebrate 40 Years of Serving Southern Californian Critical Care Patients

Gala will Include Attendance of Elected Officials, Medical Professionals, OneLegacy Leadership and Trauma Center Patients

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In recognition of the 40th anniversary of the Trauma Center System in Los Angeles County, the L.A. County Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS) partnered with OneLegacy to host a 40th Anniversary Celebration on November 29, 2023. Los Angeles County was the site of one of the first Trauma Center Systems in the United States and to date is one of the largest nationwide.

With notable attendees including the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, local elected officials, medical professionals and OneLegacy leadership, the event will highlight the importance of the men and women who worked tirelessly to develop the foundation of the innovative Trauma Center System that L.A. County offers today.

The EMS Agency’s 15 Trauma Centers provide services to over 10 million residents of Los Angeles County, including 88 cities and unincorporated areas, and covering over 4,000 square miles in one of the most populous areas in the United States.

“Over 25,000 critically injured patients are treated at the Trauma Centers each year,” said Richard Tadeo, Director of Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS Agency). “We look forward to continuing to offer highly specialized trauma care for injured patients in L.A. County for years to come, and we are so proud of our medical staff’s dedication and service over the past 40 years.”

The event will include the presentation of a series of special L.A. County Board of Supervisor certificates of recognition to honor the dedicated service provided by the 15 trauma centers. In what promises to be a moving ceremony, former trauma patients will also share their stories of survival and how the Trauma Centers saved their lives.

One of the survivors is Mike Feuer, who was the former City Attorney of Los Angeles. He suffered major injuries from an automobile accident. He had multiple broken ribs and other injuries when his Toyota Prius was struck by a Chevy Tahoe. He was transported by EMS to Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center and was admitted and treated in the intensive trauma care unit.

A young woman named Emery Hernandez will also share her remarkable story of survival. She sustained a traumatic brain injury, and thanks to the dedicated medical staff and the specialized care she received at the Trauma Center at Memorial Care Long Beach Medical Center, she has been able to thrive and overcome issues related to her brain injury. She is now pursuing her interests in music and art. She will perform a special song to the public to close the anniversary program.

“OneLegacy is proud to serve as cohost for this special celebration,” said Tom Mone, Chief External Affairs Officer at OneLegacy. “The trauma centers are a vital resource for those patients with critical injuries who need specialized care, and their collaboration with OneLegacy to fulfill registered donor’s and families’ decisions to make lifesaving donations has helped saved thousands of lives in the past 40 years."

The Los Angeles County EMS Agency and OneLegacy congratulate the L.A. County EMS Agency’s 15 Trauma Centers, for their continuous commitment and dedication for innovation to provide the best possible trauma care to all residents and visitors of Los Angeles County. These services are essential in ensuring lives are saved and severe injuries are treated with the most current state of the art medical care.