Tag: health care
Work Scheduled to Tear Down Cooper Green Parking Deck, Building New Clinic
Demolition of the old Cooper Green Hospital parking lot is expected to begin later this year or early next year to make way for building a new indigent care clinic in that location, officials with Jefferson County and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System announced Tuesday.
Designs for the new clinic, planned to be about 150,000 square feet, are being worked on, and those involved hope it will be ready to open in 2½ to 3 years, David Randall, chief strategy officer for the UAB Health System, said during a press conference.
The project is expected to cost between $55 million and $65 million, Randall said. Read more.
ADN Poll: Most Republicans Trust Vaccines, Value Health Care
Its Future in Limbo, Limiting Telehealth in the Gulf South Could Be Troublesome for Rural Areas
Telehealth became a necessity for many people during the COVID-19 pandemic. But with state health emergencies expiring, laws that have made it more available could go away, leaving the region’s more rural areas hurting the most due to access barriers and disparities. Read more.
UAB And JeffCo Officials Plan Hospital-Based Intervention Program For Gunshot Survivors
Trauma doctors in Birmingham are treating a record number of patients with gunshot wounds. Health officials hope a violence intervention program could help reverse the trend. Read more.
Controversial New Alzheimer’s Drug Approved Despite Reservations
The FDA has approved the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in 20 years, but some doctors, including one at UAB, warned patients’ families not to expect much from the drug any time soon. Read more.
Five Things You Need to Know About Alabama’s New Medical Marijuana Law
Alabama’s new medical marijuana law is more than 100-pages long. We did the hard work and pulled out the highlights that may impact you. Read more.
Low Likelihood of Matched Bone Marrow Donors Among African Americans
Finding a 100% bone marrow match is a challenge for most people with cancer, but it’s even more difficult if you’re Black.
Be The Match, the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world, only carries 4% of their registry from African Americans. Research showed bone marrow matches are best among people of the same race and ethnicity.
This makes Black people far less likely to find a bone marrow match when searching for a cure for blood cancer.
Stephanie Jackson, an account manager with Be The Match, said African-Americans have an especially hard time matching with donors compared to whites.
“If you are Caucasian, and you do not have a match in your family, you have a 77% chance of finding a match,” Jackson said.
But for African Americans, that drops to 23%, because only a tiny fraction of registered donors are African American, Jackson said.
Read more.
Retiring Children’s of Alabama CEO Expects Medicaid to Face Budget Pressure Again
CEO Mike Warren said he thought he could fix Medicaid, but he was naive. Read more.
Acclinate Races Against the Clock to Increase Diversity in Clinical Drug Trials
A lack of racial diversity in clinical trials can make new drugs and treatments less effective for people of color. According to one recent study, 78% of trial participants were white. Acclinate, a new Birmingham-based company, is trying to correct that imbalance by connecting underserved populations with researchers. Read more.
Don’t Let Fear of COVID Open the Door to Breast Cancer, Officials Warn
Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson hosted a press conference Wednesday to bring attention to breast cancer and the need — despite the pandemic — for persons to be tested for this disease.
The event was a reminder that fear of COVID-19 or the vaccines created to fend it off should not be reasons to forego a mammogram.
“The coronavirus and breast cancer both are potentially deadly diseases,” said registered nurse Josie Dukes-Bland. “But you do not have to choose one over the other when it comes to treatment and diagnosis.” Read more.
