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UAB has been named America’s Best Large Employer by Forbes, spotlighting the school and its hospital’s service to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. The financial magazine made the
distinction yesterday, putting the school ahead of other schools, such as Yale University, which placed fifth. Much of the accompanying story focused on the work UAB Hospital did in 2020 as
coronavirus cases affected ever sector of society. “We’ve had almost up to 300 Covid patients at a time with 30% in an ICU,” President Ray Watts was quoted as saying in the story. “They have
done it without complaint. The resilience of our employees during these times of greater stress had been remarkable.” UAB topped a list complied using market research from Statista,
surveying 50,000 Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. Participants were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family, and
to nominate organizations other than their own. All surveys were anonymous. The final list ranks the 500 large employers that received the most recommendations. A large company was
classified as having more than 5,000 employees. Approximately 23,000 people work at UAB. Forbes paid attention to what UAB has done for its employees in the past year, such as a stockpile of
PPE during the pandemic and access to mental health, including an app, as well as subsidized childcare. But beyond the response to COVID-19, Forbes illustrated how UAB encourages employees
to put down roots. Every employee who buys or renovates a home in the surrounding area is given an $8,000 grant.