(November 8, 2022) – Three South Carolina Lowcountry hospitals have earned recognition from HCA Healthcare for nursing excellence. Trident Medical Center and Colleton Medical Center are recipients of 2022 HCA Healthcare Unit of Distinction Awards. And, Summerville Medical Center was awarded Honorable Mention recognition. The awards celebrate nursing units that achieve top outcomes and consistently provide excellent care to their patients.

Each year, HCA nurses and other clinicians have more than 31 million patient encounters across its more than 180 hospitals and 2,300 sites of care. Dr. Sammie Mosier, senior vice president and chief nurse executive for HCA Healthcare says, “The Unit of Distinction program celebrates how nurses consistently achieve top outcomes. We congratulate our winning nursing units that deliver excellent care to their patients.

Trident Medical Center was honored with two awards for its Behavioral Health Unit and Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. Colleton Medical Center won for its Perinatal Unit. Summerville Medical Center received an honorable mention for its Pediatric Unit.

The annual awards program recognizes and rewards exemplary nursing units at HCA Healthcare sites of care. “For a unit to earn the award each nurse must excel at a high level and the unit must function as a group. When this happens our patients benefit,” explained Trident Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Tami Frost, MSN, RN. “To have two Trident Medical Center units recognized as being among the best-of-the-best within HCA Healthcare is a testament to the dedication our nurses have to their patients and to each other.”

At Summerville Medical Center, which won an Honorable Mention for its Pediatric Unit, Dr. Plato Alexandar, who is the program’s medical director, said, ““The pediatric unit serves as an incredible asset for the children and family of the Summerville community. Staffed by a team of pediatric nurses, pediatric intensivists, social workers, pharmacists and therapists, the unit is able to deliver a very personalized and family centered care experience for families. More and more parents are realizing the exemplary level of medical care and attention their children can reliably receive without having to leave the comfort of their own neighborhood. We are humbled and thrilled to be now nationally recognized by the HCA Healthcare family for the level of nursing care that we are able to provide for our patients. “

At Colleton Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Missy Feather, DNP, MBA-HCM, RN-BC said, “We know nurses today have a lot of choices on where they practice. That’s why we are especially proud of our top performing Perinatal Unit. They deliver more than 300 babies a year. HCA Healthcare is the premier career destination for nurses. Even though we are a small community in Walterboro, SC, our friends and neighbors know that we have the best nurses and they work hard each day to make sure that mom and baby are safe and healthy.”

Launched in 2015 the program celebrates how nurses are achieving top outcomes. The “Unit of Distinction” designation is achieved through measurable, exemplary performance in the strategic areas of advocacy and leadership, consistency in nursing practice and operations.

The awards go to the top five percent of all HCA Healthcare medical surgical, critical care, emergency services, surgical services, behavioral health, women’s and children’s nursing units, pediatrics/PICU and inpatient rehabilitation units. The top six to ten percent of all HCA Healthcare units earned honorable mention designations.