NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Distribution
Date: January 4, 2007
Clinic’s Green Strategy Goes Silver
Hill Country Community Clinic's planned 4.5 million dollar expansion, scheduled to break ground Spring 2007, will be very green. The U.S. Green Building Council has officially registered the clinic’s expansion as a LEED project seeking a Silver certification. It will be the first such project in Shasta County.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is, according to its website, “the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.” Some of Hill Country Clinic’s green building strategies include extensive use of daylight and natural ventilation; a large photovoltaic system to supply electricity for the building that is tied into the power grid to bank power in summer for use in winter; a rainwater harvesting system to supply landscape irrigation; and the extensive use of a new era of renewable and nontoxic materials that will promote the health of both staff and patients.
Michael Nielson, of Trilogy Architecture, is the project's design architect and will guide the project through the certification process. According to Nielson, California has always led national standards in energy efficiency and environmental responsibility, and it is only a matter of time, he feels, before many of these green building strategies will go from being optional to mandatory. "Sustainable building is the new frontier, and we're excited to be a part of the evolution," says Nielson. "It is hoped that Hill Clinic's leadership and commitment will serve as an inspiration and model for other organizations, businesses, builders, and homeowners to embrace the green building ideology."
Lynn Dorroh, Executive Director of Hill Country Community Clinic, is pleased and proud to have the enthusiastic commitment of the eleven-member clinic board for support of the LEED certification requirements throughout the building process. “We all want to put our ideals into practice,” she remarked, when asked about the motivation behind this decision. “If we’re promoting health, we should promote it in all areas. It just makes sense to build a health clinic with materials and practices that are conducive to the long- term health of both people and the environment.”
The 12,500 sq ft expansion will allow the clinic to double the number of people who receive medical, dental, and mental health services regardless of their ability to pay.
For more information, contact:
Lynn Dorroh, Executive Director, Hill Country Community Clinic
29632 Highway 299 East • P O Box 228
Round Mountain, CA 96084
530.337.6243
Donate to Hill Country Community Clinic
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