HCA Florida Lake City Hospital unit recognized for nursing excellence
HCA Florida Lake City Hospital today announced that its surgical services nursing unit has earned the 2024 HCA Healthcare Unit of Distinction (UOD) Award, an annual program that recognizes and rewards exemplary nursing units at HCA Healthcare sites of care. 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 and leveraging scale to improve patient care.
“True innovation happens at the bedside and the Unit of Distinction program celebrates the best of HCA Healthcare. Today we recognize and celebrate exemplary nursing units who raise the standard of nursing excellence,” said Sammie Mosier, DHA, MA, BSN, NE-BC, senior vice president and chief nurse executive of HCA Healthcare. “Thanks to all of the nurses who work each day to lead the way, delivering excellent care to patients and support to our community of nurses.”
Launched in 2015, the Unit of Distinction Awards are an essential component of HCA Healthcare’s strategic nursing plan. HCA Healthcare supports and invests in nursing with leading-edge technologies and increased access to clinical education and professional development opportunities to help make HCA Healthcare a premier career destination for nurses.
“Receiving the Unit of Distinction award reflects the outstanding level of care our patients have come to expect and experience every day at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital,” said Walter Long, chief operating officer at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “Patients have a choice when it comes to surgical care, and they continue to choose our hospital. That trust is earned by our passionate team of nurses, techs, and surgeons who uphold a standard of excellence that is unrivaled. We are proud to deliver world-class care close to home, driven by our commitment to the care and improvement of human life.”
In addition to receiving the Unit of Distinction Award for surgical services, the unit was recognized as an honorable mention in the pre-operative award category. In 2024, the surgical services unit was also named among the top 10% in the nation for outpatient orthopedic surgery excellence for two years in a row (2024-2025) by Healthgrades, the No. 1 online resource Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital.
“This incredible recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication, skill, and compassion of our surgical services team,” said Daniel Hicks, director of surgical services at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital. “Their commitment to delivering exceptional care and putting patients first
every single day is what sets them apart. We are proud to celebrate their hard work and honored to see their clinical excellence recognized at the highest level.”
In a ceremony broadcast from HCA Healthcare’s headquarters in Nashville yesterday, a total of 197 nursing units were recognized as top-performing nursing units. Units of Distinction are categorized in 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.