UAB to Start COVID-19 Testing With Mobile Units in Bush Hills, Center Point
By Hank Black
UAB will provide testing for COVID-19 in two community locations this week, offering the tests for people who cannot or don’t want to go to its downtown testing site, officials said today.
A mobile testing unit will go to Central Park Christian School in Bush Hills on Thursday from 1 to 3 p.m. and to Cathedral of the Cross in Center Point on Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. They will see people who have made appointments by calling 205-975-CV19 (2819). Participants must drive up to the mobile facility this week, but walk-up appointments are expected to start as early as next week.
UAB has tested more than 5,000 people at its downtown site off of University Boulevard and 22nd Street South, according to Jordan DeMoss, vice president for clinical operations.
“We’ve spent the last month making sure we could provide access to the community and build our capacity at our downtown site,” DeMoss said. “Now, in partnership with the county’s Unified Incident Command Center, we’re able to start providing mobile testing in our community.”
The command center was instituted earlier this month by the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency and the Jefferson County Health Department to create a coordinated response for the pandemic.
DeMoss said UAB has developed efficiency at drive-through testing through its existing site, and will be working out details of mobile testing in the coming weeks.
“We’re leveraging partnerships we have through the command center and also those here at UAB through the Minority Health and Research Center, so we have a lot of help to get to the right places,” he said. “We don’t know what the demand will be for this, but expect to learn a lot as we get started, and we’ll be willing to go back into a community where we see more demand,” he said.
Alabama prison chief responds to families’ criticism
The department said that a number of changes have been made since Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm was appointed in 2022. The department said hiring has increased, and there are ongoing efforts to curb the flow of contraband and improve communications with families.
40 years after ‘Purple Rain,’ Prince’s band remembers how the movie came together
Before social media, the film Purple Rain gave audiences a peak into Prince’s musical life. Band members say the true genesis of the title song was much less combative than the version presented in the film.
Park Fire in California could continue growing exponentially, Cal Fire officer says
Cal Fire has confirmed that over a hundred structures have been damaged in the Park Fire, which grew overnight near Chico, Calif. Difficult firefighting conditions are forecast through Friday night.
Checking in with Black voters in Georgia about the election, now that Biden is out
Some voters who could be key to deciding who wins Georgia. What do they think about Vice President Harris becoming the frontrunner in the race to be the Democratic nominee?
Tahiti’s waves are a matter of ‘life and death’ for surfing Olympics
Tahiti's Teahupo'o wave has a slew of riders for the Paris 2024 Olympics. NPR finds out why it's called one of the most dangerous waves.
Researchers are revising botanical names to address troubling connotations
Since the mid-1700s, researchers have classified life with scientific names. But some of them have problematic histories and connotations. The botanical community is trying to tackle this issue.
