UH Rainbow Center for Women & Children Receives Distinguished LEED Platinum Certification

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The University Hospitals Rainbow Center for Women & Children is the first healthcare facility in Ohio that has achieved LEED Platinum. US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification is the highest level of LEED recognition for a building’s environmental design, construction and operation.

UH Rainbow Center’s sustainable design and construction practices are key components of UH Rainbow’s commitment to community health. “While we are proud of providing excellent clinical care, we know the majority of contributors to our patients’ and community’s well-being are non-medical, including socioeconomic and environmental factors. That’s why our UH Rainbow Center programs go beyond traditional medical care to help families to meet all of their health needs, and why our commitment to environmental stewardship is so important,” says Patti DePompei, RN, President of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and UH MacDonald Women’s Hospital.

The most important green features of UH Rainbow Center for Women & Children include:

• Midtown location accessible by multiple transit modes
• Energy efficiency
• Excellent indoor air quality and avoidance of chemicals of concern in interior materials
• Onsite solar panels projected to generate 50% of the building’s energy use
• Storm water management

Aparna Bole, MD, Division Chief, General Academic Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, UH Rainbow says, “By investing in a vibrant and sustainable urban Midtown neighborhood, supporting local businesses, conserving natural resources, preventing air and water pollution, and optimizing indoor air quality by avoiding the use of chemicals of concern in our building, we are providing a healthy and healing space for our patients and staff, and helping to ensure a healthy environment for the communities we serve and beyond.”

LEED Platinum certification means a healthier, more productive building, reduced stress on the environment, and savings on utility costs.

The 40,000-square-foot, three-story health center is located two miles west of UH’s main campus. It’s the new home for the pediatric and women’s health outpatient practices previously located on the first floor of UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Together these clinics log more than 45,000 patient visits per year, and are primary UH training sites for the next-generation of pediatric and OB/GYN clinicians.

Conveniently located near public transportation and with free parking, the center improves access to quality care for residents of Cleveland and surrounding communities. In addition to pediatric primary care and outpatient obstetric and gynecologic care, the center offers wraparound programs such as integrated mental and behavioral health services, a vision clinic, dental medicine, an onsite pharmacy, nutrition education, a medical/legal partnership program, an onsite WIC office, breastfeeding support, and assistance with connecting to community partnerships, and environmental stewardship.