The UAB Health System is the heart of health care in Alabama. It is an innovative network of services that provides a complete continuum of care for patients from all over the world. The UAB Health System is internationally renowned for its expert physicians and groundbreaking medical research, but, more importantly, it stands out for its strong commitment to compassionate, personal care for every patient.
The cornerstone of the UAB Health System is the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Home to a world-class medical center that has been serving the state for more than 50 years, UAB is widely known for top-notch medical education and innovative research activities conducted by faculty members. UAB continues to garner significant research funding from the National Institutes of Health. With grants totaling over twenty-two million dollars, UAB ranks 19th in NIH funding among all institutions of higher education and 11th among public institutions.
You'll find nationally acclaimed physicians and surgeons providing UAB's brand of compassionate care at University Hospital, Callahan Eye Foundation,The Kirklin Clinic at UAB, in UAB Health Centers and facilities around Birmingham and throughout the state. In 2002 University Hospital joined an elite group of hospitals across the nation as 1 of only 8 Magnet hospitals in the southeastern U.S., a designation awarded by the American Nurses Association. UAB programs are consistently listed in the U.S. News and World Report annual "America's Best Hospitals" issue. 234 UAB physicians were listed in the most recent issue of the prestigious publication, Best Doctors in America, and UAB is the only Birmingham-area hospital to receive a 2005-2006 Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Corporation. The UAB Health System continues to grow, assuring a commitment to world-class care for patients across Alabama and throughout the world, with the new University Hospital. The 885,000-foot, 11-story hospital has 37 operating suites, 2 procedure rooms, 3 medical surgical units, 4 intensive care units — trauma and burn intensive care, surgical intensive care, neuroscience intensive care, and cardiovascular intensive care, and a 38,000 square foot emergency department.
The new hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art digital and wireless technology. Operating rooms contain voice-activated video technology allowing the surgeon to view x-rays, or pathology specimens without having to break scrub or leave the room. A new telemetry system allows medical staff to monitor patients as they are transported to various areas throughout the hospital. An automated drug dispensing system was also launched.
Patient rooms are designed with great attention to detail, and the comfort and convenience of patients and their families in mind. Each room contains a wireless call system so patients can communicate directly with their assigned nurse, wherever he or she is located. Two “service columns” on each side of patient beds contain all the electrical equipment (lights, flat screen monitors, gases, IV poles). New "total-care" beds allow nurses to take patients from a horizontal position to a full sitting position without bending and lifting, making sitting up easier for patients and nurses.
Designed to be patient and family friendly, the new hospital has seating for more than 900 visitors, including large, open public accommodations centered around the atrium and skylight. A brand new parking deck is conveniently located adjacent to the hospital with an entrance on 4th Avenue South with covered access to the hospital. An interior walkway located on the second floor provides access from anywhere in the medical center complex to and from the hospital. This new facility has become a model in design innovation for hospitals of the future, placing the UAB Health System as a leader in the provision of interdisciplinary health services.