TEMPLETON — Tenet Health Central Coast’s Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo were both awarded an “A” from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2020 Hospital Safety Grade, demonstrating the hospitals’ commitments to delivering safe, high-quality patient care to the Central Coast community.

Sierra Vista has achieved consecutive A’s every reporting period since the ratings first came out in 2012 — only 29 hospitals nationwide have achieved straight A’s since 2012.

This designation recognizes Sierra Vista and Twin Cities’ efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The Hospital Safety Grade was designed to give consumers information they can use to make healthcare decisions for themselves or a loved one. The Leapfrog Group assigns A, B, C, D or F grades to hospitals across the country based on their ability to prevent errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

“While we strive for the quality that earns the Leapfrog Group’s recognition every day, this most recent honor is especially meaningful in letting the public know we remain a safe haven of care during the pandemic,” said Mark Lisa, CEO of Tenet Health Central Coast. “This is a validation of our COVID Safe protocols and the work we do to ensure patient safety. I am proud of every member of our team in achieving these designations.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and the results are free to the public.

“Consistently achieving an ‘A’ for patient safety, year after year, day after day, is an extraordinary accomplishment and we congratulate the clinicians, staff, volunteers, and leadership of Tenet Health Central Coast,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We applaud Tenet Health Central Coast for protecting the lives and safety of patients and health care workers. Given the immense challenges confronting the American health care system as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic, we need all hospitals to demonstrate such relentless dedication to their patients.”

To see both hospitals’ full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.