This past spring, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) reported that emergency rooms across the United States were seeing a large drop in heart attack admissions. UAB Medicine also saw a decrease in cardiovascular event cases, due to patients’ fear of COVID-19. UAB Medicine responded by expanding its telehealth services and creating policies to protect patients and staff, so that it could safely provide cardiovascular care to those who need it.

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.

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.

During the corona virus pandemic, arranging events and gatherings for social distancing can make getting involved a challenge, or even limit the number of participants. However, that is definitely not the case for the virtual version of Birmingham Heart Walk. Participation in this fundraising event can take place anywhere you can move.

Medical professionals have long known that blood pressure measured in a doctor’s office may not match your true normal blood pressure. This may be due to one of two conditions that cause “false” readings, and recent research shows that both call for more consistent and accurate blood pressure monitoring.

February is American Heart Month, an annual observance designed to increase awareness about heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Each year, one in four deaths is caused by heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. Fortunately, almost 80 percent of heart disease cases can be prevented when people make healthier choices and manage their medical conditions.