For the first time since 2004, Mountain West Medical Center will open its doors for tours and free services this Saturday.
The event is the first time in 10 years the hospital has hosted a community health fair, said Becky Trigg, director of marketing for MWMC. Both the hospital and the community have grown since then, she said, and so hospital management felt it was time to re-introduce the facility to the community.
“We have so many great new services available and new physicians we want to introduce to the community,” Trigg said. “We want to be a community participant and provide information and screenings for the whole family.”
Mountain West will kick off the health fair with a 5K race at 9 a.m. Those who wish to enter the race should register the morning of, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Afterward, a full gamut of health fair festivities will begin at 10 a.m.
Available activities will include tours for every age and interest — everything from a simulated operation in one of the hospital’s OR rooms, to a scavenger hunt in the imaging department, where children can use ultrasound to search for hidden items. There will also be tours of the Women’s Center and the birthing experiences offered there, as well as tours of the hospital’s ambulance operations. AirMed will also land at 10:30 a.m. to offer tours and demonstrations at the event.
Various medical services will also be available free of charge, including podiatry exams and various health screenings such as blood glucose, pressure and cholesterol tests. The hospital’s orthopedic surgeon, OBGYN, cardiologist, general surgeon, and primary care physicians will be there to answer residents’ medical questions.
For those with questions of a financial nature, the hospital will have booths representing its billing department and Eligibility Services, a special service dedicated to helping residents find and qualify for different kinds of medical insurance and coverage. There will also be a booth to explain the hospital’s new online medical records portal.
For residents who aren’t quite old enough to understand the ins and outs of insurance, the fair will include a teddy bear clinic where children can bring stuffed toys for a quick check-up, as well as bounce houses and games.
The hospital will have free hot dogs and popcorn for attendees of all ages.
The health fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday. All activities will take place on the hospital grounds, with event parking and shuttles available on the west side of the hospital building. Admission is free to the public, and all are invited to attend.
“This is a way we can educate the community on their health,” Trigg said. “We are here for them, and we want them to know that.”