Highland Around Town — Aug. 3 edition; Highland Home Museum hosting open house

Noon Wednesday, Aug. 3, is the deadline to appear in next week’s “Around Town” listing. We must receive your event in writing with a contact phone number for questions. Due to the number of submissions, events may run only one time in print, will be edited and appear in the week before the event date.

Email: lifestyle@bnd.com. Mail to: Highland News Leader Around Town, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.

Thursday, Aug. 4

▪ Diabetes Support Group — 4 p.m. Frisse Conference Room, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, 12866 Troxler Ave., Highland. Open to those with diabetes and their family members and/or caregivers. Participants will receive a small gift at the this meeting. The group will continue to meet on the first Thursday of each month. Participants will be required to wear non-cloth, medical-grade masks, as masks are still required in health care facilities per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Registration is required. 618-526-5743 or lisa.ketchem@hshs.org to register or for more information.

▪ Highland Thursday Night Live Concert Series: Jeremy Wright — 7 p.m. Downtown Square, Highland. Enjoy live entertainment on Thursday evenings. Feel free to bring your own lawn chair(s), blanket, cooler, etc., and enjoy the show. The Lions Club will be selling brats, pork burgers and chicken sandwiches. highlandil.gov

Friday, Aug. 5

▪ Book Sale — 9 a.m. to noon. Tri Township Library, 209 S. Main St., Troy. Book donations are accepted during the book sale and on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The book sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Masks are required at the sale. 618-667-2133.

▪ Aviston Legion Fish Fry — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1239, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Cod (baked or fried), catfish, shrimp, chicken strips, fries, baked potato, slaw, applesauce. Dine-in and carryout. 618-228-7311 or avistonlegion.com.

▪ Highland Muny Band — Approximately 8 p.m. Downtown Square, Highland. Listen to the beautiful music of the Muny Band all summer. Free and open to the public. facebook.com/HighlandMunyBand

Highland Home Museum open House. 1:30-4:30 p.m. The Highland Home Museum & Art. A lot of art for Highland will be on display. It covers Alhambra, New Douglas, Grantfork, Marine, St. Jacob, Pierron, Millersburg, and all points in between. It covers the eastern portion of Madison County, according to Highland historian Roland Harris.

Saturday, Aug. 6

▪ Highland Home Museum Open House & Art — 1:30-4:30 p.m. Numerous collections of art for Highland will be on display. It includes Alhambra, New Douglas, Grantfork, Marine, St. Jacob, Pierron, Millersburg, and all points in between. Furthermore, the event covers the eastern portion of Madison County, according to Highland historian Roland Harris.

▪ St. Francis of Assisi Parish Picnic — 3-7 p.m. St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 2nd and Clinton streets, Aviston. Featuring a chicken dinner with all the trimmings served 3-7 p.m. Bingo for quilts starts at 6:30 p.m. Cash awarded for multiple winners per round. Games of chance with basket prizes. The Country Store will have items for sale including fresh produce. Refreshments available.

Tuesday, Aug. 9

▪ Parents of Addicted Loved Ones — 7-8:30 p.m. Online via Zoom. The PAL group provides education, support and hope to family members and loved ones of someone who has an addiction of substance use disorder. Free and open to all. For info or to join the Zoom meeting, contact Craig at 618-567-6095. palgroup.org

Wednesday, Aug. 17, through Friday, Sept. 9

▪ Heartland Community Chorus Auditions — Heartland Community Chorus out of Highland will hold auditions during this time frame. Anyone 16 or older is welcome. They need singers in each section. Heartland Community Chorus is a performing ensemble for singers in the greater Highland area. Their current members hail from Highland, Troy, St. Rose, Trenton, Glen Carbon, Pocahontas, Aviston, Maryville, Breese, and Edwardsville. The chorus is directed by Luanne Murphy. To schedule an audition, contact Murphy at 618-791-8408 or luannemurphy@gmail.com. Auditions will take less than 10 minutes. Rehearsals will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays at St. Paul Church, 1411 Main St., Highland. The first rehearsal will be Monday, Aug. 22.

Other area happenings

▪ Pitch for Cancer Research Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser — 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Trenton Community Park, Trenton. Prizes will be awarded to the top four team finishers. Food, beer and drinks will be available for purchase. It is being held in memory of Helen Andersen (Lebanon, IL) and Ashley Furlong, both who died from cancer at such a young age. Cost: $20 per person or $40 per team of two. Proceeds benefit cancer research. To register: https://bit.ly/3chkUtg. For info: Mark Skaer 618-623-2769 or skaer.mark@gmail.com.

▪ HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland Auxiliary Book Donation Drive — Used book donations are currently being accepted. Donations can be delivered to St. Joseph’s Hospital Gift Shop 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. Accepting nice, clean books of fiction, nonfiction, children’s and cookbooks, hardbacks and paperbacks, puzzles, CDs, DVDs. The Auxiliary requests no self-care, religious or DIY books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. Masks (non-cloth) must be worn in the hospital at all times.

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland achieves 5-star rating

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland has received a five-star rating for patient experience from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the top score in the federal agency’s ratings system.

The score is based on a summary of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, which assesses patient experiences. CMS’s star rating system scores hospitals on a one-to-five-star scale based on 10 publicly reported measures. The HCAHPS survey’s 29 questions cover these areas:

• Nurse communication
• Doctor communication
• Responsiveness of hospital staff
• Communication about medicines
• Discharge information
• Care transition
• Cleanliness of hospital environment
• Quietness of hospital environment
• Hospital rating
• Willingness to recommend hospital

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital President and CEO John Ludwig said, “This achievement is a reflection of the dedication of our colleagues in making each and every patient feel cared for and respected. Year after year, our patients have consistently given us a high rating on their experience with us. We will continue providing exceptional care to those who entrust us with their care.”

For more information on the CMS ratings system for hospitals, visit medicare.gov/hospitalcompare.

For more information about HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, visit the hospital’s website at stjosephshighland.org.

This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 12:00 AM.