Category: Newsletter


University Medical Center Helping to Provide Covid-19 Screenings in Black Belt

The University of Alabama’s University Medical Center and Office for Research and Economic Development have collaborated with Alabama Power and various community organizations to provide Covid-19 screenings in the state’s Black Belt region during the past several months. The next screening will take place Tuesday, June 30, in Eutaw at the Activity Center from 9…


The Elderly and Covid-19

Older people are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 and can experience serious health effects from the virus. Research is showing that adults age 60 and older, especially those with pre-existing conditions – heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or cancer – are more likely to have a severe and even deadly infection than other age groups. Overall,…


A message from Dr. Richard Friend, dean of the College of Community Health Sciences

This year marks the 45th anniversary of University Medical Center. During that time, we have grown from a single location in Tuscaloosa created to provide clinical education and training to future family medicine physicians, to multiple locations and outreach programs that provide primary and specialty care where it is needed most. Through it all, we…


COVID-19 Screening Set for Lisman in Choctaw County

Screening for COVID-19 will be available at the Lisman Town Hall in Lisman, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 16, from 9 am to noon, for as long as supplies are available. University Medical Center and the Office for Research and Economic Development at The University of Alabama, Alabama Power, Rural Alabama Prevention Center, and Go2 Foundation…


Pickens County UMC Services

Two physicians from University Medical Center are continuing to provide gynecological, prenatal and obstetrical services in Carrollton, Alabama – and accepting new patients – even though the Pickens County Medical Center there has closed. Patients are seen and services provided at the Healthplex building, next to Carrollton Primary Care and above the dialysis center. In…


Pregnancy During COVID-19

Based on what is known about COVID-19, pregnant women are no more at risk of contracting the virus as adults who are not pregnant, and there currently are no data showing that the virus affects pregnant women differently. Still, pregnant women need to be mindful about reducing their risk of exposure, said Dr. John McDonald,…


COVID-19 and Harm Reduction

While we’re learning to live with masks, social distancing and new rituals of hand washing and disinfecting surfaces, some additional guidelines are needed to minimize risk of contracting COVID-19 as lockdowns end and life moves forward, public health experts said. They refer to this as a “harm reduction” approach. And while the guidelines they offer…


A Message From Dr. Richard Friend, Dean of the College of Community Health Sciences

We will soon welcome new classes of medical students and resident physicians to the College of Community Health Sciences. Nearly three dozen third-year medical students will begin the first of two years of their clinical education with us, and 16 new medical school graduates will begin a three-year residency, as they work to become specialists…


Hospital Care and COVID-19

People with severe cases of Covid-19 often require hospitalization, and many of those patients are cared for by physicians who specialize in hospital medicine. Hospitalists work within hospitals, caring for patients from the time they are admitted to the time they are discharged. Nearly two dozen physicians comprise the College of Community Health Sciences’s University…


Keep Children Current on Their Vaccinations

University Medical Center pediatricians are urging parents to make sure their children are current on their vaccinations. They want parents to know that going to the pediatrician and keeping well-child visits, even during Covid-19, is important and safe. UMC follows all recommended steps, and has taken extra steps, to ensure the safety of patients and…