Baltimore Medical System Opens Nation's First LEED Platinum Certified, Federally Qualified Health Center

BALTIMORE, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- "It's the healthiest building in the unhealthiest part of the city."

That's how Baltimore Medical System (BMS) president and CEO Jay Wolvovsky describes the newly-opened 32,000-square-foot Highlandtown Healthy Living Center.  For the 22,000 patients who will receive primary care there, the Highlandtown Healthy Living Center is a prominent and physical illustration of BMS' core belief that a healthy environment contributes to healthy living.  

The Highlandtown Healthy Living Center meets the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) qualifications for a Platinum rating, the highest level of certification. The Highlandtown Healthy Living Center will be the first Platinum Federally Qualified Health Center in the country.

"We are using the environmentally-friendly and LEED-required elements of the Healthy Living Center to educate our patients about how they can improve their health through their physical space," said Wolvovsky.

"For example, we don't hang curtains in the windows of the center in order to illustrate the importance of sunlight, and to remove a trigger for asthma that our patients might find in their homes," said Wolvovsky.  "When they see our staff using environmentally-safe cleaning products, they can more easily make the connection to what products they might use at home."

The Center's staff is trained to explain features to patients as they wait for appointments and are escorted to one of the Center's 51 examination rooms.  They are invited to explore the health benefits of being outdoors by visiting the Center's terrace  garden off the waiting room and the street-level rain garden, which captures and filters rain water.

About Baltimore Medical System

Baltimore Medical System is the largest provider of primary health care to medically underserved communities in Maryland.  BMS provides special services to help uninsured, non-English speaking and other high need patient groups access care.  Over 48,000 people each year receive medical services and education at BMS's six health centers throughout Baltimore City and County and six City school-based health centers.  The Highlandtown Healthy Living Center is located at 3700 Fleet Street in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore.

SOURCE Baltimore Medical System Inc.