TITUSVILLE, Fla.--Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John announced today that it has been awarded the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification, making the Parrish facility the first in Florida to receive this designation.  

The center earned the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED Silver certification in collaboration with Johnson Controls, Inc. and Skanska USA.
LEED is the USGBC's leading edge system for designing and constructing the world's greenest, energy efficient, high performing buildings.
"Building green is a natural extension of our patient and community-centered vision and mission," said Parrish Medical Center Board Chairman Nathaniel Pilate. "Our hospital was among the nation's first to pioneer evidence-based healing design. We are longtime advocates of the benefits of a true healing environment for patients, their families and care partners."

Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John was designed with the goal of achieving LEED Silver certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use and a variety of other sustainable strategies. 
LEED was established by the USGBC for market leaders to design and construct buildings that protect and save precious resources while making good economic sense.

"Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John is to be commended for achieving LEED certification," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president and chief executive officer and founding chair.   "This facility is one that the community and its customers can be proud of. The certification says that Parrish cares about the health of the building's users and employees. Parrish Healthcare Center at Port St. John is a showcase high-performance, energy-efficient, healthy outpatient center - and an inspiration for others."    

George Mikitarian, PMC president and chief executive officer, called LEED certification an "incredible accomplishment in itself."
"Being the first in the state to accomplish the Silver level is something that makes every PMC care partner proud because it is another example of PMC's leadership in health care," Mikitarian said.

Chris Male, PMC developer and project lead, said, "Silver is the highest level an outpatient facility in a non-urban area has earned to date from the USGBC. The achievement of Silver is a testament to the hard work and tenacity of the project team."

Randy Bernard, Skanska Senior Vice President added, "As growth continues in central Florida and across the state, environmental sustainability is as important as new infrastructure.  We are proud to deliver PMC a facility that will not only serve the community here, but will also serve as a model for sustainable growth."

"Healthcare providers are responsible to the communities they serve and must recognize that the environmental impacts of their facilities span both operations and construction." Said Jenny Stentz, director of healthcare solutions for Johnson Controls. "Parrish's achievement of LEED certification reflects the values, beliefs and philosophy of the people responsible for creating the healing experience."

The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary third party rating system in which credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. 

Projects are evaluated within six environmental categories:
1. Sustainable site development
2. Water conservation
3. Energy and atmosphere
4. Materials and resources
5. Indoor air quality
6. Innovation and design 

      Silver, Gold and Platinum green building certification levels are awarded based on total credits.  The LEED standard has been adopted as the industry standard of green building measurement by federal agencies, state and local governments and interested private companies.
Parrish Healthcare Center in Port St. John opened in May 2007.  The 76,000 square-foot center represents the largest healthcare investment in the history of this growing community.   

The center's first floor houses comprehensive outpatient services including all digital diagnostic equipment (digital mammography, digital CT, digital MRI, and digital ultrasound), laboratory services, four-bed sleep disorder center, conference center, stress testing, EKG, echo cardiology and physical therapy services. 
The second floor is home to medical offices, including an endocrinology practice and family practice.  Phase two of the project will include additional physician office space (OB/GYN, additional family practice and alternative medicine) and an urgent care center. 

Content provided by Parrish Medical Center, www.parrishmed.com