<b>BMH nurse named&nbsp;</b><b>Nurse Leader of the Year</b>

[caption id="attachment_32448" align="aligncenter" width="2400"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AshleyHildreth-with-award.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-32448"><img class="size-full wp-image-32448" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/AshleyHildreth-with-award.jpg" alt="Ashley Hildreth " width="2400" height="1600"></a> Ashley Hildreth[/caption]

Beaufort Memorial Emergency Department Assistant Director Ashley Hildreth has been named 2017 Nurse Leader of the Year by the South Carolina Emergency Nurses Association for advocating for patient safety and demonstrating exemplary practice in the field of emergency nursing.&nbsp;

The award was presented to Hildreth at the Second Annual Nurse Enlightenment Day held last month in West Columbia. Her co-worker, nurse Lauren Walters, nominated her for the honor, citing Hildreth’s dedication to nursing and her unwavering compassion for patients.

“She often comes to work on her days off to relieve the stress of our busy emergency department,” Walters wrote in the nomination form. “She supports us both emotionally and professionally. She is always praising us for our hard work and encourages us to work with integrity.”

Hildreth has received two other prestigious nursing awards in her career: the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses and the Palmetto Gold Award, a designation bestowed by the South Carolina Nurses Foundation.&nbsp;

The RN joined Beaufort Memorial in 2003 after graduating from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College with an associate degree in nursing. She went on to earn her B.S. from the University of South Carolina in 2009 and her Master’s in Nursing from Chamberlain University in 2015.

She has received several additional certifications as an emergency nurse, sexual assault nurse examiner and trauma nurse core curriculum instructor.&nbsp;

<b>Cardiologist joins&nbsp;</b><b>BMH medical staff</b>

[caption id="attachment_32449" align="aligncenter" width="1867"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Butterfield-Lee-MD-lab-coat1.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-32449"><img class="size-full wp-image-32449" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Butterfield-Lee-MD-lab-coat1.jpg" alt="Dr. Lee Butterfield" width="1867" height="2800"></a> Dr. Lee Butterfield[/caption]

As part of a continuing effort to improve heart health services in the community, Beaufort Memorial Hospital has added another cardiologist to its team of heart specialists.&nbsp;

Dr. Lee Butterfield, a board-certified cardiologist experienced in complex coronary interventions, will join Beaufort Memorial Cardiology in early June, where he will be working with board-certified interventional cardiologist Dr. David Harshman. Butterfield will see patients at both the Beaufort practice and in Bluffton.

“We’re very excited to have a physician with Dr. Butterfield’s credentials and experience join our medical staff,” said Christopher M. Ketchie, vice president of Beaufort Memorial Physician Partners. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in South Carolina. Dr. Butterfield shares our commitment to improve outcomes by providing patients with the highest level of care and most advanced treatment of coronary diseases.”

Trained in general cardiology, interventional cardiology and vascular medicine, Butterfield has practiced the last 13 years in Columbia, first with South Carolina Heart Center and most recently with Palmetto Cardiology Associates.

His professional interests include treatment of acute coronary syndromes and structural heart disease, especially as it relates to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Over the years, he has served as a principal or co-investigator on a number of studies, including a clinical trial on targeted platelet inhibition to clarify the optimal strategy to medically manage acute coronary syndromes.

Butterfield received his B.S. in Biology from Washington and Lee University, where he graduated magna cum laude and lettered in varsity football and basketball. In 1995, he earned his medical degree with Alpha Omega Alpha honors from the University of Virginia School of Medicine.&nbsp;

He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine-New Haven Hospital and then went on to complete fellowships in general cardiology and interventional cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Beaufort Memorial Cardiology is located at 989 Ribaut Road.

To make an appointment, call 843-522-7110.