UAB Hospital - History

History

The hospital was established in 1945 as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama School of Medicine, which was moved from the University of Alabama main campus in Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Birmingham. It was originally located in the Jefferson and Hillman Hospitals, which were acquired by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees from Jefferson County. The rapid growth of the Greater Birmingham area led the hospital to continue to expand to some 20 surrounding medical buildings. In 1992, UAB opened "The Kirklin Clinic", a 5-story outpatient facility.

In November 2004, UAB Hospital opened its new 885,000-foot, 11-story building named North Pavilion. It includes 37 operating suites, two procedure rooms, three medical surgical units, four intensive care units — trauma and burn intensive care, surgical intensive care, neuroscience intensive care, and cardiovascular intensive care, and a 38,000-square-foot (3,500 m2) emergency department. Its emergency department is located on the first floor, along with the large public lobby and front door. The second floor serves as the main concourse into the UAB Hospital complex with its primary entrance on 4th Avenue South. 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, ECGs or pathology specimens without having to break scrub or leave the room.

In February 2010, a new Women and Infant's Center was completed and opened, adjacent to the new Children's of Alabama Russell Campus hospital.