Ashlee Horton Receives 2022 Palmetto Gold Award

Each year the South Carolina Nurses Foundation recognizes 100 nurses who exemplify excellence in practice and commitment to the profession. Nurses are nominated across the entire state from a variety of practice settings to receive this Palmetto Gold Nurse Award. This year, Ashlee Horton, RN, BSN, CCRN, Director of ICU, PCU and Dialysis Services at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center received the award. Ashlee will now join the prestigious group of past honorees who continue to influence nursing and patient care in South Carolina.

“I am extremely proud of Ashlee for being so committed to her profession,” says Christy Moody, Chief Nursing Officer at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. “Under Ashlee’s leadership, her clinical area has implemented multiple improvements that directly affect patient safety and quality. And here at Carolina Pines, our patients are our top priority. Ashlee’s expertise is unmatched, and we are so blessed to have her as a leader at Carolina Pines and as a 2022 Palmetto Gold recipient.”

Ashlee graduated from Clemson University in 2002 and immediately began her career at Carolina Pines as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). She has spent her nursing career in the ICU as a Clinical Coordinator, Assistant Director and now currently serves as Director of the unit.

As it became apparent that COVID-19 was going to become very prominent, Ashlee identified the need for innovative and cutting-edge treatments for patients. She reached out to surrounding hospitals and used evidence-based research to start a total plasma exchange process in the ICU. At the time of implementation, the Carolina Pines ICU was one of the only units in South Carolina using this type of blood filtering treatment. Ashlee’s innovative mindset resulted in improved patient outcomes during COVID-19.

Ashlee’s commitment to the community is evident by her involvement with a local non-profit organization, the Trent Hill Center for Children and Families. The Trent Hill Center is a home for youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Ashlee spearheads her department’s efforts in supporting this organization. Her department provides monthly meals and a guest speaker that covers topics ranging from hand hygiene to hands-only CPR.

Ashlee is committed to her patients, her staff and her community and she exemplifies the definition of a Palmetto Gold nurse.

For more information on the Palmetto Gold Program, visit http://www.scpalmettogold.org/.