ARLINGTON — As construction moves forward on schedule at Cascade Valley Hospital, hospital staff and community members are preparing to present a health fair Saturday, April 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the commons at Arlington High School.

“Our goal for this health fair is to provide good and useful information to the community,” said Kelly Penny, community liaison officer for CVH.

“We’ve got about 80 people helping plan this event. We’ll have a display about the history of the hospital in honor of its 100th birthday,” said Penny, who likes to introduce herself as chief party planner. She does much more than that, however. Along with helping coordinate the health fair, she was also helping distribute prizes at the Easter Egg Hunt last Saturday, and she helped hospital administrators Connie DiGregorio and Heather Logan provide an update on the hospital expansion project at last month’s meeting of the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce. Penny was very excited about the huge birthday banner now hanging outside of the old 1950s building, which will be demolished next year as part of the hospital expansion project funded by a 2007 bond measure.

“It’s 20 feet tall,” she said.

Inside the construction site, the walls are going up. The expansion is due to open with a grand opening celebration in December.

“The studs are in and so we can now see where the rooms will be,” Logan said last week.

They will start offering tours in June and, in the meantime, staff members are planning a big celebration for the health fair that is family friendly with fun activities for kids as well as free medical tests for adults, Penny said.

“We hope that unemployed people without insurance will come in and get some tests done,” Penny said.

The city’s emergency management manager, Chris Badger is adding a big safety component at the fair and there will also be a booth on the history of the hospital, since it’s beginning 100 years ago this year.

“We will have photos of all the buildings through the years,” Penny said.

The grand opening of the expansion, originally scheduled for completion in September has been reset for December, and Penny has already started planning the party.

Along with medical tests like cholesterol, blood pressure and osteoporosis tests, there will also be workshops, including one on mersa, which is of huge concern these days.

“Karla Ward will provide down to earth practical information on incontinence,” Penny said. Orthopedic surgeons will give a talk. There will be half-hour lectures going all day, including information on foot care and wound care provided by the prize-winning Cascade Valley Wound Care Clinic.