PHOENIX—The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has introduced its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare. The rating system guides the design and construction of new buildings and major renovations of existing ones, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living spaces and medical education and research centers.

“Research has shown when we are treated and heal in a green healthcare facility—one that has a healthy indoor environmental quality and connects us to the outdoors—we heal faster, have shorter hospital stays and fewer return visits,” said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC. “LEED for Healthcare is six years in the making, and addresses healthcare’s unique green building needs.”

LEED for Healthcare was developed to meet the needs of a 24-hour operational facility, including process water use related to medical equipment, rural facility locations, patient populations, often with compromised immune systems, sensitive to chemicals and pollutants, patient and staff health and many other issues unique to this building type.

For more information, call 202.742.3738 or visit usgbc.org/leed/healthcare.