Beam raising for Centegra's Huntley hospital Saturday

Huntley area residents are invited to help raise the beams for Centegra Health System's new 128-bed hospital in Huntley Saturday.

The celebration will begin at 9 a.m. and include a Family Health Fest and open swim activities.

Parking will be at Marlowe Middle School, 9625 Haligus Road in Lake in the Hills, and a shuttle will transport visitors to the Centegra Health campus.

Centegra, McHenry County's largest employer, has hospitals in McHenry and Woodstock. It plans to employ more than 1,000 people at the Huntley hospital.

The new $233 million, 360,000-square-foot Centegra Hospital-Huntley is being built on Centegra's existing campus at Reed and Haligus roads. It will offer 100 medical surgical beds, a women's center with 20 private obstetric rooms, and a helipad for transporting critical patients.

Construction is expected to take 30 months to complete, and the hospital will accept its first patients in fall 2016.

The Family Fun Fest, running from 9 to 11 a.m., will feature a Teddy Bear Clinic, a free bike helmet and fitting for the first 300 children 16 and younger, live music, an obstacle course, "Bags to the Bones" game with McHenry County Orthopedics, and health screenings, such as for checking blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

Visitors will be able to sign a construction beam that will be raised at 11 a.m. Free hard hats will be available for commemorative family photos.

Activities include a rock-climbing wall and an open swim session at the Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center-Huntley outdoor pool from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Visitors should bring their own towels to the open swim session. There will be a backpack for every family attending, snacks and refreshments.

Registration is required for the health fest and beam-raising event. Visit centegra.org/beam or go to the Family Health Fest tab on Centegra's Facebook page.

For more information about Centegra Health System, visit centegra.org.