Anne Arundel Medical Center Awarded LEED® gold Green Building Certification

-First Acute Care Facility in State of Maryland to Receive Prestigious Environmental Award-

Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) has been awarded LEED® certification to the Gold level, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

AAMC is the only acute care facility in the state of Maryland to receive the award and is one of only 183 healthcare sites in the United States to do so.

“As one of the busiest hospitals in the state of Maryland with more than 30,000 inpatient admissions, we’ve had to be innovative and look at all of our practices to see where we could be more environmentally responsible,” said Victoria Bayless, president & CEO, Anne Arundel Medical Center. “Achieving LEED certification to the Gold level is a remarkable accomplishment for an organization such as ours. Unlike other buildings, we don’t have the option of turning the lights off at 5pm. As we strive to be a better partner to our community, this award reflects our vision of Living Healthier Together.”

In April, AAMC opened a new patient tower that was built with environmental sustainability at is core. The building achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. The pavilion includes an expanded emergency room for adults designed to treat some 100,000 patients annually, a new, dedicated pediatric emergency room and pediatric in-patient unit, 50 new private patient rooms, eight new operating rooms and a new 1,600-space garage.

“Building operations are nearly 40% of the solution to the global climate change challenge,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “While climate change is a global problem, innovative organizations like AAMC are addressing it through local solutions.”

LEED certification of AAMC was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include:

• 16,700 square-feet living roof, replacing the traditional asphalt roof.
• 33% savings in water thanks to the low flow fixtures and utilization of native plantings that thrive with little water, thus eliminating the need for irrigation systems.
• 18-20% energy conservation by installing a highly efficient HVAC system, including chillers and chiller plant controls and a dehumidification system.
• 90% energy conservation on lights alone in operating rooms by implementing LED lights.
• 1,750 tons of waste were diverted during construction from the landfill. That’s a 93.3% recycling rate.
• 2,100 lbs. of alkaline batteries and 7,000 lbs. of UPS batteries were collected and recycled in 2010.
• 87% of the steel in AAMC’s beams and columns is pure scrap, recycled by a world-class steel company just a short drive from the eco-friendly parking lot.

By using less energy and water, LEED certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

About Anne Arundel Health System
Anne Arundel Health System is the parent organization of Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), Anne Arundel Diagnostics Imaging, Pathways Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, and three satellite locations AAMC – Health Services in Bowie, Waugh Chapel, and Kent Island. AAMC, founded in 1902 as the Annapolis Emergency Hospital, is a not-for-profit hospital that provides acute inpatient and outpatient care to residents of the region, encompassing Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s and Calvert Counties. In April 2011, the hospital completed its $424 million expansion project, which included a pediatric emergency room, an expanded general emergency room, 50 new patient beds, and eight new operating rooms. Anne Arundel Health System employs more than 3,500 with 755 members of the medical staff and more than 700 auxilians.

About U.S. Green Building Council
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.

With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

About LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Over 100,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED rating systems, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries.

By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, who spent 25 years as a Fortune 500 executive. Under his 15-year leadership, the organization has become the preeminent green building, membership, policy, standards, influential, education and research organization in the nation.

For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

Media Contact:
Michelle Powell
Anne Arundel Medical Center
443-481-4712
mpowell2@aahs.org