HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital Providing Screening Services to County Schools

Last year, HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital began providing a School Wellness Program in area grade schools to encourage healthy eating and fitness habits at a young age. Now, the hospital has taken another step to demonstrate its commitment to the health and wellbeing of area students.

As announced at the Effingham Community Unit School District #40 School Board meeting on July 27, St. Anthony’s has committed to providing hearing and vision screenings free of charge in Effingham Unit 40 schools to assist the district in meeting a State of Illinois requirement.

In addition to Effingham Unit 40 Schools, St. Anthony’s will also be providing hearing and vision screenings to all Effingham County schools, including:

--Fresh Start Treatment and Learning Center (Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education)

--Sacred Heart Grade School and St. Anthony Grade and High Schools

--Altamont Community Unit School District #10 Schools

--Altamont Lutheran Grade School

--Beecher City Community Unit School District #20 Schools

--Dieterich Community School District #30 Schools

--Teutopolis Community Unit School District #50 Schools

Under the Illinois Child Vision and Hearing Test Act, 410 ILCS 205/1 et. seq., hearing and vision screenings are required annually for all public, private, and parochial schools and licensed childcare facilities at certain grade levels. Vision screenings are required for preschool, kindergarten, second grade, eighth grade, special education, transfer students, and referrals by teachers; hearing screenings are required for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, special education, transfer students, and referrals by teachers.

In previous years, the hearing and vision screenings for school in Effingham County were provided by the Effingham County Health Department, but due to State budget cuts, the health department no longer has the staffing to provide the screenings. When the need for the screenings became known, St. Anthony’s reached out to all Effingham County Schools, public and parochial, and offered to provide the screenings free of charge for the schools. Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, the hospital will provide all the equipment and staffing for the screening program, and handle all the reporting requirements to the State. Each school will provide a location in each facility for the screenings to be conducted.

Theresa Rutherford, HSHS St. Anthony’s President and CEO, shared why the hospital felt it was important to support area schools by providing the screenings for their students. “The Mission of St. Anthony’s is to reveal and embody Christ's healing love for all people through our high quality Franciscan health care ministry. Our Mission extends beyond our walls to all those in our community, not just to those who cross the threshold of our hospital or clinics. We are always looking for ways to enhance the health and wellness of the community we serve and this includes our youngest citizens,” she said. “When we heard of the difficulty schools were facing with the screenings, we felt offering to provide the screenings aligned well with our Mission and presented another way we could expand the services we provide to the community. We are proud to partner with our area school districts in ensuring we can catch hearing or vision problems early so that they can be corrected as soon as possible and not hinder their learning capacity,” Rutherford shared.

Mark Doan, Superintendent of Effingham Community Unit School District #40, shared his appreciation for the hospital’s generous commitment to area schools. “HSHS St. Anthony’s has been an excellent partner with Unit #40 and all the school districts.  We certainly appreciate their support and care for all the children across Effingham County,” he said. “Providing hearing and vision screenings for our youth is a blessing and we truly are appreciative to the hospital for taking this step.”

Altamont Community Unit School District #10 Superintendent Jeff Fritchtnitch's echoed Doan’s comments and gratitude. "HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital was called to serve and they are doing just that. Daily I am thankful for the support that comes from within Effingham County, and those willing to provide assistance to our county schools and, most importantly, to the students who attend,” he shared. “We thank them for their caring and willingness to go the extra mile."

HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital is part of the Southern Illinois Division of Hospital Sisters Health System, which also includes HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, and HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland. For more information about HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and other community programs provided to the area, visit www.stanthonyshospital.org.