PRESS RELEASE:
Blue Ridge Regional Hospital recently announced that its Emergency Services nursing unit has earned the 2025 HCA Healthcare Unit of Distinction Honorable Mention, an annual program recognizing exemplary nursing units across HCA Healthcare’s national network of more than 100,000 nurses. This year’s recognition is especially significant as HCA Healthcare celebrates “A Decade of Distinction,” marking the 10th anniversary of the program.
The Unit of Distinction Award honors top-performing units for excellence in advocacy and leadership, consistency in nursing practice and operations, and leveraging scale to improve patient care.
“This recognition is a profound testament to the unwavering dedication our Emergency Services team brings to Spruce Pine and our surrounding communities every single day,” said Dr. Tonia W. Hale, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer for Blue Ridge Regional Hospital. “Earning a spot in the top ten percent of nursing units across all of HCA Healthcare highlights our team’s commitment to clinical excellence and compassionate care. I am incredibly proud of this team for being highlighted on a national stage in Nashville and for the high standard they set for patient outcomes in our region.”
Launched in 2015, the Unit of Distinction Awards are a cornerstone of HCA Healthcare’s Nurse Forward strategy, grounded in four pillars: a care-first culture, clinical education, dynamic care teams, and leadership and advocacy. Over the past decade, the program has recognized more than 500 honorable mention recipients across the organization.
The Emergency Services unit at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital is one of the recognized areas of care that reflects the breadth and impact of nursing practice across the HCA Healthcare network. This year, units were recognized during a ceremony broadcast from the organization’s headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 14, 2026.
ABOUT BLUE RIDGE REGIONAL HOSPITAL
Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, a member of Mission Health, an operating division of HCA Healthcare, is a community hospital serving Mitchell, Yancey, lower Avery and upper McDowell counties. Located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital is a Critical Access Hospital operating 25 beds. Blue Ridge Regional Hospital offers medical specialties including emergency services, prenatal and postnatal obstetrical care, wound clinic, cardiac stress testing, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, nuclear medicine, 3D mammography, regular and specialized ultrasonography, endoscopy services, critical care, rehabilitation services and fitness center, cancer services, orthopedics, general surgical services, pediatrics and family medicine, and walk-in, non-emergency care at Mission My Care Now Spruce Pine. For more information, please visit MissionHealth.org/BlueRidge or @BlueRidgeRegional.
