The USGBC’s LEED for healthcare rating system passed by member ballot in November with an 87 percent approval rate. The system focuses on high-performance healthcare projects, including inpatient and outpatient care facilities and long-term care facilities. The passage marks six years of developmental work.
The Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC) document and pilot project, initially released in 2004 as a project of the Center of Maximum Potential Building Systems as well as Health Care Without Harm, was used as a foundation for the initial development of LEED for Healthcare. The USGBC and GGHC officially entered into an agreement in 2007 to work together to develop tools, educational programs, and other activities to support green health care building. By capitalizing on GGHC’s pilot program, the LEED for Healthcare system was able to bypass the traditional pilot process.
Click here to access a PDF of the LEED 2009 for Healthcare New Construction and Major Renovations Rating System.