RNs receive South Carolina’s highest nursing honor
April 11, 2011
ANDERSON, SC – April 8, 2011 – This weekend, three AnMed Health nurses will be recognized among the state’s best. Martha Rush, surgery nurse manager at the AnMed Health North Campus, Andrea Briscoe, a registered nurse in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, and Megan Garner, a registered nurse with AnMed Health Home Health, are among the recipients of the 2011 Palmetto Gold Award.
The Palmetto Gold Nurse Recognition and Scholarship Program is South Carolina’s only statewide recognition program for nurses from all practice settings. Palmetto Gold selects the top 100 nurses from those who have been nominated to honor during a formal awards ceremony. With more than 45,000 licensed nurses in South Carolina, it is an honor to be selected as a Palmetto Gold recipient. These nurses have demonstrated excellence in practice and commitment to the profession and have earned the respect of their colleagues and peers.
The Palmetto Gold Nurse Recognition and Scholarship program is a subcommittee of the South Carolina Nurses Foundation. The program started in January 2002 with a meeting of nurse leaders. Their goal was to form a statewide nursing recognition program that showcases nurses’ contributions to patient care and raises scholarship fund for students pursing an RN. The first Palmetto Gold Gala raised enough money to award a $1,000 scholarship to each of the state’s 23 approved registered nursing programs. To date, more than $170,000 in nursing scholarships have been awarded and an endowment was established that now exceeds $100,000.
“We’re extremely proud of our Palmetto Gold recipients,” said Tina Jury, AnMed Health’s chief nursing officer. “They’ve not only made a difference to the quality of care their patients’ received, they’ve made a difference in the lives of the men and women they work alongside each day.”
The 2011 Palmetto Gold Gala will be held April 9 at the Columbia Convention Center. More information about Palmetto Gold is available online at www.scpalmettogold.org.
