McLeod Dillon is pleased to announce that Crystal Hodge, RN, Intensive Care Unit, Christie Hunt, RN, Surgical Services, and Pamela Salmon, RN, Women’s Services, have been selected to receive the 2013 Palmetto Gold Award. Overall, seven McLeod Health Registered Nurses were selected to receive the 2013 Palmetto Gold Award. They join the ranks of the 108 previous McLeod nurses who have received this outstanding award.

“In the twelve years that Palmetto Gold has been honoring nursing, ten percent of the total recipients are McLeod Nurses,” said Nancy Barnes, Associate Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer at McLeod Dillon.

“McLeod Health continues to be the choice for medical excellence because of the intense focus that is placed on quality at each McLeod facility, said Debbie Locklair, Administrator of McLeod Dillon. “Our nurses are to be commended for devoting their considerable skills and talents to the selfless service of others. Being honored as part of this elite group of South Carolina nurses speaks to their level of skill. The Palmetto Gold recipients are leaders in the field representing a philosophy of commitment to caring for the individual patient that underlies the profession of nursing and the mission of the McLeod organization.”

Crystal Hodge, RN, of Fairmont, NC has six years of experience as a nurse, with four of those as a registered nurse (RN). Crystal is a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at McLeod Dillon.

Crystal is a member of the American Nurses Association.

At McLeod Dillon, Crystal serves as a member of the hospital safety committee representing critical care, champions catheter associated urinary track infection (CAUTI) activities, and coordinates the department’s managing for daily improvement board. Crystal also serves as a preceptor for new nurses in ICU and has participated in the McLeod Clinical Award Program (CAP) for the past three years.

Crystal is active in civic and community activities, such as Relay for Life, March of Dimes, health fairs, and various philanthropic activities.

Crystal was the 2006 Nina Annas Lee scholarship recipient, awarded to a deserving McLeod Dillon employee that is pursuing a healthcare related field.
Crystal has also been recognized by her peers numerous times with “My Caring Comes First” awards for demonstrating the values of McLeod Health

Christie Hunt, RN, of Fairmont, NC has 15 years of experience as a nurse. Christie is a registered nurse in Surgical Services at McLeod Dillon.

At McLeod Dillon, Christie serves as a preceptor to students and new employees. She is the co-captain for implementation of the Safe Surgery Checklist and Surgical Pause/Time-Out initiative.

Christie was chosen as the McLeod Dillon 2012 Nurse of the Year. She has been recognized by her peers numerous times with “My Caring Comes First” awards for demonstrating the values of McLeod Health. Her patients have always recognized her with many “WOW” cards complimenting her care.

Christie is engaged in community activities, such as Relay for Life and March of Dimes. She plays an active role in her church. She also volunteers for the travel ball association and with a gymnastics program.

Pam Salmon, RN, of Dillon, SC has 23 years of experience as a nurse, with 9.5 of those as a registered nurse (RN). Pam is a nurse in Women’s Services at McLeod Dillon.

Pam is a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. She is also a member of the SC Perinatal Association.

At McLeod Dillon, Pam serves on the recruitment and retention committees. She is a champion of the obstetrical unit’s infant security system. Pam is involved in bereavement and clinical training in the unit.

Pam is also a member of the Dillon County teen pregnancy task force.

In 2011, Pam was selected as both the Obstetrical Unit’s RN of the Year and the McLeod Dillon RN of the Year. She was recognized by her peers in 2012 as the McLeod Dillon Mentor of the Year. Pam has participated in the McLeod Clinical Award Program (CAP) for the past five years. She has been recognized by her peers numerous times with “My Caring Comes First” awards for demonstrating the values of McLeod Health.

Pam is an active member of the community. She has served on the March of Dimes committee at McLeod Dillon and participated in hospital and area health screenings. She assists in a variety of church and community activities.

Past McLeod Dillon Palmetto Gold recipients include: Betty Jo Barnes, Nancy Barnes, Tracey Campbell, Joan Ervin, Tiffany Miller, Pat Jones, Beverly Sandifer, Linda Sue Adams, Cindy Byrd, Alexia McKoy, Teresa Sapp, Sharon McLain and Mary Adams.

Tracey Campbell, RN, was a past recipient of one of the Palmetto Gold Scholarships.

About the Palmetto Gold Award
The Palmetto Gold Award is a program that was started by various nursing organizations throughout South Carolina as a platform to recognize nursing, and support nursing education with scholarship funds.

Each year, employers from across a wide variety of South Carolina health care settings nominate outstanding nurses from their organizations to be considered as one of the 100 nurses honored with this prestigious award. The nominators are asked to provide evidence of how the nominee demonstrated excellence to the profession by addressing four areas of criteria. Those areas include: promoting and advancing of the profession of nursing; displaying of caring and commitment to patients, families, and colleagues; demonstrating leadership by assisting others to grow and develop; and contributing to the overall outcomes in the practice.

This is a competitive process and usually several hundred nominations are submitted with only 100 being selected. Each year the competition for the Palmetto Gold Nurse Recognition Program is becoming more stringent as the number of nominations increases. To select the 100 RNs, a team of twelve nurses from across the state participate in a blind review process. The nominees are not referred to by name or place of employment on the nomination sections seen by the judges so they are unaware of who they are or for which institution they work.

The recipients of the 2013 Palmetto Gold Award will be recognized at the Palmetto Gold Gala on April 6 in Columbia. To support the future of nursing, the proceeds from the Palmetto Gold Gala, are used to provide a $1,000 scholarship to each of the approved registered nursing programs in S.C. Since the program began in 2002, Palmetto Gold has awarded $200,000 and an endowment has been established that now exceeds $100,000.