When we found out we were expecting twins, we were nervous about the usual things you expect when you first hear the word “twins”: twice the feedings, twice the diapers, and twice the sleepless nights. At 19 weeks, however, we found out that there were serious complications, and our initial worries couldn’t even compare. We had started our prenatal care at another Birmingham hospital, and were referred to a specialized hospital out of state for further testing and opinions.

UAB Hospital has been again named the best hospital in Alabama by U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, the magazine named eight specialty programs within the top 50 in the nation, seven of those within the top 30, along with two others noted as being “high performing” in the 2020-2021 Best Hospital rankings, released today.

Two University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing faculty, Associate Professor and Senior Director of the Center for Nursing Excellence at UAB Hospital and HRTSA Clinic Connie White-Williams, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FAHA, FAAN and Jane H. Brock–Florence Nightingale Endowed Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships Maria Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN, are the lead and senior authors, respectively, on an American Heart Association statement paper designed to alert health care providers of the importance of social determinants of health for underserved patients with heart failure.

July 26 will mark an important date in the history of our nation. Thirty years ago, in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by Pres. George H.W. Bush. Inspired by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. Seeking to change the paradigm of persons with disabilities in this nation, this law has mandated change and created opportunities for inclusion and to right social injustices among persons with disabilities.

Thanks to advances in wearable health-tracking devices, people can monitor their heart rhythms much easier now. Commercially available heart monitors may provide early detection of irregularities, but experts say the devices should be used in partnership with a doctor.

Michael Callahan, MD, a professor with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, was selected as a member of the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. Dr. Callahan was chosen for this honor because of his outstanding contributions and exemplary service to health care throughout the state of Alabama.

Hogan Knox, MD, has joined the clinical faculty at Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics. As an assistant professor and ophthalmologist with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dr. Knox recently completed his fellowship in glaucoma but also sees patients for cataract services and general ophthalmology.

Whether your child will attend school virtually or in person this year, we all have back-to-school shopping lists. Your list might include school supplies, new clothes, and even a haircut, but does it include an eye exam? Physicians with UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics believe it should.

July is UV Safety month, and UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics wants to remind you that your skin isn’t the only area you need to protect from UV rays – don’t forget about your eyes. Your eyes need adequate protection from UV rays year-round.

At UAB Callahan Eye Hospital & Clinics and the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, we are focused on delivering innovative eye care and pioneering breakthroughs in the preservation and restoration of sight. In 2019, we served over 160,000 adult and pediatric patients, expanded our satellite clinics to nine locations to create more access to care, performed over 14,000 surgical procedures, and treated 7,100 patients in our emergency department – the only freestanding Level 1 Ocular Trauma Center in the country.

As medical experts learn more about how COVID-19 is transmitted, researchers are still trying to determine how well face coverings can prevent the spread of COVID-19. In spite of rapidly changing information about safety measures during the pandemic, health organizations still recommend wearing masks.

For the eighth year in a row, University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has been listed on Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2020 list of 100 Great Hospitals in America. UAB has earned this distinction every year since 2013 and is the only hospital in Alabama to make the annual list published by Becker’s Healthcare, a leading source of cutting-edge business and legal information for health care industry leaders.