On the afternoon of April 25, 2018, Colin Tucker felt as though a railroad spike was being shoved through his chest.  

As part of a multicenter clinical trial, UAB Cardiovascular Institute surgeons implanted Alabama’s first NEXUS™ aortic arch stent graft system.

Viruses spread fast during the cold and flu season, which peaks during the winter months. The good news is that the steps you take to avoid catching and spreading the flu also help with COVID-19.

UAB Medicine goes to great lengths to ensure that the voices of patients and their families are heard, and that the issues they raise are addressed. To help us improve the patient experience, we recently launched an online system for sharing ideas to make UAB Medicine an even better place to receive care.

UAB Medicine provides the FDA-approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, now known as Comirnaty. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional (third) dose.

The UAB Medicine Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) offers many ways of treating alcohol and substance use disorders. Its services include peer support, which provides additional assistance to people who are receiving clinical treatment for substance use disorders. Because peer recovery support specialists are in recovery from their own substance use disorders, they bring special insight and empathy to the challenges patients face.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused various levels of social isolation since the early stages of the outbreak. People recovering from addiction need therapies that rely on close social networks, so losing those connections can create obstacles to recovery. Fortunately, the UAB Medicine Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) found ways to adapt to the pandemic’s social restrictions.

The UAB Medicine Addiction Recovery Program provides expert care for people with substance use disorders. Delivered by a team of providers from several medical specialties, this care includes a variety of personalized treatment plans, support networks, and recovery paths. One such plan is the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), which allows patients to work and attend to other obligations of daily life while recovering.

The UAB Callahan Eye Hospital Clinic in Trussville is expanding with the addition of two new providers: Jeff Chaiprakob, MD, and John Morgan, MD. These experienced ophthalmologists have practiced in the Trussville community for years as part of Eastern Medical Eye Center and will officially join Callahan on September 7.

UAB eMedicine has been using telehealth technology to connect patients with UAB Medicine providers since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a major increase in the use of telehealth, but it also required rapid advancements to make telehealth participation more equitable.

The American College of Emergency Physicians has named UAB Hospital-Highlands Emergency Department a Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department, making the University of Alabama at Birmingham home to the only accredited geriatric ED in Alabama, the first one in the Southeast and just the 17th Level 1 ED in the world.  

We are pleased to announce this month’s UAB Medicine DAISY Award, recognizing the extraordinary care and compassion that nurses provide for patients and families every day. Submissions and stories are reviewed each month, and then the winner is surprised at a special ceremony.