How to get help. How to give help for COVID-19 in Birmingham—including UAB’s urgent need

Author Chaise Sanders - March 15, 2020June 16, 2020

We’ve put together a guide to ways to get and give help during this time in Birmingham. Email us at hello@bhamnow.com as you hear of others and we’ll keep this guide up to date.

At a glance

Alabama Cases
How can I prepare my home?
I’m sick, what should I do?
I want to travel, what do I need to know?
Birmingham Info

1. Donate PPE to UAB

As cases of COVID-19 in Alabama increase, the state’s largest hospital, UAB, needs your help. There is an urgent need for more PPE (personal protection equipment). This includes:

• Face masks (including n95 respirator masks)
• Eye and face guards
• Surgical and isolation gowns
• Protective gloves

If you wish to donate commercially, manufactured, new and unopened PPE items, fill out this form. Click here for more info on what PPE donations UAB is accepting and new collection processes.

2. Donate PPE to Jefferson County Department of Health

The JCDH is collecting these items:

• N95 Masks
• Surgical Masks
• Isolation Gowns
• Gloves
• Face Shields
• Sterile Specimen Collection Swabs
• Hand Sanitizer
• Home-made face masks and gowns

The coordination center is located at the Christian Service Mission Warehouse at 3600 3rd Avenue South. Contact 205.254.2550 for questions regarding donations.

Hours: Monday-Thursday from 9AM-3PM | Friday 9AM-12PM.

3. Need Novel Coronavirus-related help?

• Text BHMCOVID to 888-777 to receive text message updates about important announcements and information from City of Birmingham
• COVID-19 symptoms from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Alabama’s data and surveillance dashboard for COVID-19 from the Alabama Department of Public Health
• Where to get tested including UAB from the Jefferson County Department of Health
• COVID-19 symptom tracker from UAB. Check-in daily to report your health status and symptoms—even if you’re feeling healthy.
• If you get COVID-19 from the CDC
• Mental health from the World Health Organization (WHO)
• Stress management from the WHO
• Dial 2-1-1 for United Way resources, info + support
• Harvest Roots Ferments is helping to organize small businesses
• The Alabama Department of Public Health Hotline for about how and where to get tested: 1.888.264.2256
• The Alabama Department of Public Health Hotline for general questions: 1.800.270.7268
• The Crisis Center’s Crisis Line: 205.323.7777 or 1.800.273.8255
• The Crisis Center’s Rape Response Line: 205.323.7273
• The Crisis Center’s Teen Link: 205.328.5465
• The Crisis Center’s Kid’s Help Line: 205.328.5437
• The Crisis Center’s Senior Talk Line: 205.328.8255
• Mobile providers + other deals to Birmingham residents
• Telemedicine providers
• Apply for Alabama state unemployment benefits

4. How to Give Help

• Give blood with the American Red Cross in Birmingham
• Give or volunteer with United Way of Central Alabama (Meals on Wheels especially needs volunteers, as does the 2-1-1 call center)
• Donate to the Birmingham Strong Fund to help small businesses
• Support LOCAL businesses

5. How to keep up with stats

• Alabama case tracking from the Alabama Department of Public Health
• National case tracking from the CDC
• Global case tracking from Johns Hopkins University

6. Support local businesses and nonprofits

Show Birmingham businesses some love

• Check out special deals and where to get curbside pickups from over 370 local restaurants, bars, and other businesses.
• Don’t see yours? Add your business to the local database for free.

Help support these local nonprofits

• Check out over 50 local nonprofits and how you can lend a helping hand.
• Don’t see yours? Add your nonprofit to the local database for free.

Are there other resources you know of in the community that we should include here? Tag us on social @bhamnow and let us know, or email us at hello@bhamnow.com.