Hospital executives are increasingly growing more aware of the environmental importance of their buildings. Hospital facilities are expensive to run, and they are the most important physical asset within any organization's balance sheet.
As such, many hospitals have begun to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that judges the design, construction and operation of buildings deemed to be "green."
Hospitals are slowly joining the LEED party, and there are four main levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Here are the 28 hospitals in the United States that currently meet the LEED Gold and Platinum certifications, as listed on the USGBC's project directory. Platinum is the highest designation a hospital or building can attain, while Gold is the second-highest. Only three hospitals in the United States currently meet the Platinum level, while 25 meet the Gold level. If only a certain portion of the hospital was certified, it is specified in brackets below.
Note: Only acute-care hospitals or areas within the main hospital were considered. Ambulatory surgery centers, medical office buildings, specialty clinics, healing gardens and other separate entities that are part of hospitals or health systems were not included.
• Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin — the first hospital in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
• Katz Women's Hospital at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. [Third floor.]
• Kiowa County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, Kan.
• Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md.
• Aspirus Wausau (Wis.) Hospital. [Neonatal intensive care unit.]
• Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
• Community Hospital South in Indianapolis.
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. [Yawkey Center for Cancer Care.]
• Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Wash. [Dally Tower.]
• Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Hillsboro (Ill.) Area Hospital.
• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.
• Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abington, Va.
• Martha's Vineyard Hospital in Oak Bluffs, Mass.
• Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo.
• Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton, Pa.
• Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown (Tenn.) Hospital. [Women's and Children's Pavilion.]
• Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center. [Fifth floor for oncology patients, Simon Level 5.]
• Muskogee (Okla.) Community Hospital.
• Providence Newberg (Ore.) Medical Center.
• Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va.
• Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
• Shands Cancer Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
• St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wis. [Heart, lung and vascular center.]
• Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. [Neonatal intensive care unit.]
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
• West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Miami.
• Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, R.I.
As such, many hospitals have begun to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that judges the design, construction and operation of buildings deemed to be "green."
Hospitals are slowly joining the LEED party, and there are four main levels of certification: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
Here are the 28 hospitals in the United States that currently meet the LEED Gold and Platinum certifications, as listed on the USGBC's project directory. Platinum is the highest designation a hospital or building can attain, while Gold is the second-highest. Only three hospitals in the United States currently meet the Platinum level, while 25 meet the Gold level. If only a certain portion of the hospital was certified, it is specified in brackets below.
Note: Only acute-care hospitals or areas within the main hospital were considered. Ambulatory surgery centers, medical office buildings, specialty clinics, healing gardens and other separate entities that are part of hospitals or health systems were not included.
LEED Platinum
• Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas in Austin — the first hospital in the world to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
• Katz Women's Hospital at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. [Third floor.]
• Kiowa County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, Kan.
LEED Gold
• Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Md.
• Aspirus Wausau (Wis.) Hospital. [Neonatal intensive care unit.]
• Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
• Community Hospital South in Indianapolis.
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. [Yawkey Center for Cancer Care.]
• Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Wash. [Dally Tower.]
• Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich.
• Hillsboro (Ill.) Area Hospital.
• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Fla.
• Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abington, Va.
• Martha's Vineyard Hospital in Oak Bluffs, Mass.
• Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo.
• Mercy Suburban Hospital in East Norriton, Pa.
• Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown (Tenn.) Hospital. [Women's and Children's Pavilion.]
• Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center. [Fifth floor for oncology patients, Simon Level 5.]
• Muskogee (Okla.) Community Hospital.
• Providence Newberg (Ore.) Medical Center.
• Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va.
• Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
• Shands Cancer Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
• St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Wis. [Heart, lung and vascular center.]
• Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. [Neonatal intensive care unit.]
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
• West Kendall Baptist Hospital in Miami.
• Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, R.I.
More Articles on Hospital Environmental Efforts:
A New Green Standard? How Hospitals Can Utilize Geothermal Energy to Save the Environment and Money
6 Ways an Operating Room Can Become More Environmentally Friendly
The Energy to Go Green: 5 Changes to Help the Environment and Improve Your Hospital's Bottom Line