The hospital will then partner with the Newton Lions Club to add the blood chemistry screening to the second annual Lions Club Health Fair.

The date of the springtime Lions event is to be determined in the near future, according to Dick McCall, the Newton Lions Club health fair coordinator. “Our first task in setting a date requires matching the open dates for the Lions Screening Unit with the open dates of the Newton Recreation Center,” he said.

McCall points out that a new Lions screening Unit replaces the familiar Lions vision and hearing screening van used at previous heath fairs.

Hospital officials said concern about the public’s exposure to the H1N1 virus in a large gathering such as a health fair weighed in the decision

“I think the spring schedule would be preferable to October, especially because of the H1N1 potential,” Robetta Trapp, NMC’s diagnostic services director said. She said that if the laboratory professionals become infected during October, they’re unavailable to staff blood draw.

“We are not sure when the H1N1 flu vaccine will be publically available, and a community health fair in late October time might cause unneeded public confusion about the availability of the vaccine,” NMC’s marketing & community relations manager Barrick Wilson, said.

Some of the proceeds from the Newton Lions Club’s Nov. 3 annual Pancake Day will support their sponsorship of the revamped springtime Health Fair.