As Easter approaches, celebrating the holiday during a pandemic may seem more optimistic than last year, but community members should remain diligent in their efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (March 22-28,2021) is an annual, week-long health observance that aims to inspire dialogue about the science of drug use and awareness of addiction among youth. This is the 11th year the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, which is a federal agency serving as part of the National Institutes of Health, has sparked conversations for this observance.

For more than a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every area of daily life. Masking, social distancing, vaccine distribution, and other issues have led to what many health care experts call “COVID fatigue”.

At UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics, we are dedicated to providing excellent patient care to everyone who comes through our doors. To help deliver a better patient experience, we are upgrading our elevators near the parking deck.

On January 25, 2021, an EF-3 tornado ripped through the community of Fultondale, Alabama. The 100-year-old oak tree in Arnoldo Vasquez-Hernandez’s yard did not stand up to the 150 mph winds that evening.

Children from 20 schools in the Birmingham area turned what is in their hearts into art and created colorful cards for UAB Medicine workers. Morning and evening shift staff will get a handmade valentine along with individually wrapped cookies and popcorn on Sunday, Feb. 14.

We can all agree that 2020 was a difficult year, especially for hospitals and health care workers. But UAB Medicine rose to the COVID-19 challenge, helping UAB earn the No. 1 spot on Forbes magazine’s national list of Best Large Employers for 2021.

During her nearly two decades in Birmingham, UAB Callahan Eye Hospital and Clinics pediatric optometrist Marcela Herrera Frazier, OD, MSPH, has built a successful vision practice and touched the lives of countless children – especially in the local Hispanic community. A Colombian native, she’s earned the trust of the parents and patients alike, and today about 30% of them share her heritage.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of clinical staff has been a significant problem for health care organizations. UAB Medicine formed a Pandemic Staffing Task Force to address our nursing shortage, and its call for help received a campus-wide response from nurses, faculty, students, and other staff.

We know you’d go to the ends of the Earth to get the most advanced eye care for your family, but UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics made sure you don’t have to.

COVID-19 is primarily spread person to person via respiratory droplets or small particles, like aerosols. If infectious respiratory droplets land on objects (such as cash or change), and someone touches the object and then touches his/her mouth, eyes or nose, then he/she may get COVID-19. In general, it is important to maintain excellent hand hygiene, especially after touching commonly used items, such as money.

Studies are ongoing to determine whether nutritional supplements such as zinc have an effect on people with COVID-19.