Georgia Coastal Health District

April 8, 2014 – Chatham County Health Department officials announced today that the Dr. Martha B. Fay Public Health Center/Chatham County Health Department facility on Eisenhower Drive has been given Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold status by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Chatham County Health Department is the only health department in the Southeastern United States and only one of a handful of health departments throughout the entire country to achieve LEED Gold status.
LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED certification offers third party validation of a project’s green features and verifies that the building is functioning at high energy efficiency. LEED is a points-based system where building projects earn LEED points for satisfying specific green building criteria. The number of points the project earns determines the level of LEED Certification the project receives. LEED certification is available in four progressive levels: certified, silver, gold, and platinum.
Health Department officials, along with Patrick Shay, Senior Principal with architecture and urban development firm Gunn Meyerhoff Shay which designed the building and spearheaded the LEED certification of the new Dr. Martha B. Fay Health Center/Chatham County Health Department, were on hand at the health department to make the announcement. Shay then pointed out several features around the building that helped with the attainment of LEED Gold status including environmentally friendly bamboo trim and interior design work native plant materials.
“For Chatham County the LEED Gold certification means that the savings on energy costs will be an added benefit to local taxpayers for years to come,” said Shay.
The new, energy efficient Dr. Martha B. Fay Public Health Center/Chatham County Health Department opened its doors in May 2013. The 33,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility is located behind the existing health department and faces Sallie Mood Drive.