The County of Los Angeles said LA Health Services received multiple recognitions at the 2026 County Productivity and Quality Awards; the county announced the honors in a news release dated Oct. 26, 2026.

LA‑DROP, the county’s first pilot that lets paramedics give blood transfusions before patients reach a hospital, won the Bronze Eagle Award. The release said the program has demonstrated clinical impact and interagency partnership; LA‑DROP partners include the LA County Fire Department, LA Health Services (EMS Agency & Harbor – UCLA Medical Center), the Compton Fire Department and the San Diego Blood Bank, and the pilot was supported by the county’s Productivity Investment Fund.

LA Health Services won the Mega Million Dollar Award for a Cost Rationalization Dashboard that, the county said, improved visibility across its technology portfolio, streamlined software and systems, and renegotiated 73 contracts to generate more than $9.38 million in annual savings and cost avoidance.

Two LAHS programs placed among the PQA Top Ten. Olive View–UCLA Medical Center’s Diabetic Foot Infection Admission Prevention pathway shifts appropriate care from inpatient to outpatient settings; the county said the change reduced unnecessary hospital admissions and provides nearly $1 million in annual cost avoidance. The License to Skill, Quality Controlled training program partnered with California State University, Los Angeles to expand clinical laboratory scientist training; the county said the program produced a 99% board exam pass rate and strengthened staffing and retention.

What this means for county patients and hospitals is practical: earlier field transfusions aim to reach trauma patients sooner; fewer avoidable DFI admissions should free inpatient capacity; and the dashboard savings, the county said, reduce pressure on the health system budget. Those results are the county’s account of program performance and projected savings; independent verification was not provided in the release.

The release includes a link to the full list of winners and videos; the County of Los Angeles provided the information to the public in its news release.

Contact and promotional details in the county release were not repeated here; readers can consult the county’s newsroom for the original announcement.

Sources & methodology

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County of Los Angeles

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