[Providence] – Providence Holy Cross Medical Center’s new four-story, 138-bed expansion was named Monday as the first LEED Silver hospital in Southern California, honored for its efforts to build an environmentally friendly project.

The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program – Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design – is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

“This exceeds the goals and expectations for the project,” said Patty Mayberry, R.N., project manager for the new wing. “Everyone who worked so hard to complete this project, including our contractors and architects who documented the many features of the building, share this honor.”

LEED certification is based on a number of green design and construction features that provide positive impacts for the building itself as well as the broader community. LEED has four classifications of certification based on the number of green features documented: certified, silver, gold and platinum.

Among the dozens of features in the building that are designed for pollution control and sustainability are energy saving roofing materials, erosion control, bicycle stations and changing rooms, water bottle refilling stations, water efficient landscaping, an air-conditioning system designed to reduce potential ozone depletion, diversion of 75 percent of construction waste from landfills, composting and the elimination of plastic foam products.

“LEED certification shows that Providence Holy Cross is living its core value of stewardship and contributing beyond its walls to help create a healthy community,” said Larry Bowe, the hospital’s chief executive.

It was the community that urged Providence Holy Cross to incorporate green features in building and operating the new $160 million patient tower when ground was broken in 2007.

“With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive officer and founding chairman of the USGBC.  “As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.”

The new wing opened in July and includes a new Women’s Pavilion with private labor-and-delivery suites and dedicated operating rooms, a 12-bed neonatal intensive care unit, a new gastroenterology laboratory and much-needed additional patient beds. Swinerton Builders was the general contractor on the expansion, the Stahl Companies managed the project and HMC Architects designed the building.

About Providence Health & Services

Providence Health & Services, Southern California, is a Catholic, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing quality and compassionate health care and reaching out to the poor and the vulnerable in the communities it serves. Providence California operates five acute care medical centers in the Los Angeles area providing a full continuum of healthcare services: Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Providence Tarzana Medical Center, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. The region also has numerous ancillary facilities including Hospice care, long-term care, numerous outpatient clinics and Providence High School in Burbank. For information, visit providence.org.

About the 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.