December 3, 2007—The US Green Building Council (USGBC) is inviting the public to comment on the draft LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Healthcare Rating System.
LEED for Healthcare was developed to meet the unique needs of the healthcare market including inpatient care facilities, licensed outpatient care facilities, and licensed long term care facilities, says USGBC. It may also be used for medical offices, assisted living facilities, and medical education and research centers.
LEED for Healthcare addresses such issues as increased sensitivity to chemicals and pollutants, traveling distances from parking facilities, and access to natural spaces. The system was based on LEED for New Construction Version 2.2 and the Green Guide for Health Care.
The pilot phase for LEED for Healthcare has been waived due to the use of the Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC) pilot project input in developing the rating system. GGHC v2.1 pilot project input was an integral part of the LEED for Healthcare development process and guided much of the revisions to existing LEED for New Construction credits as well as the creation of new healthcare specific credits not currently addressed in LEED.
Any member of the public can comment on the draft rating system through Saturday, December 15, 2007 midnight Pacific Standard Time. USGBC will respond to all comments, and post the comments and responses (without commenter names or organizations) to the USGBC Web site. If changes are made to the draft, a second public comment period will be conducted. The resulting draft will then be sent to the USGBC membership primary contacts for ballot.
For more information and to comment, visit the LEED for Healthcare Web page. A site user profile is required to submit comments.
