Insights
Nov 12, 2024 _ insights
Rural & Resilient: A Bold, Energy-Efficient Critical Access Hospital
As a critical access hospital, Margaret Mary Health improves access to healthcare for people throughout the rural communities it serves. They are employing a bold approach to resilient, rural healthcare with the design of a $115 million replacement community hospital in Batesville, Indiana. Once complete, the 125,000 sf facility will be the state’s first all-electric hospital and one of the most energy-efficient hospitals in the nation.
I recently had the opportunity to share the sustainable design strategies that will improve facility operations and enhance health outcomes with attendees at two conferences: the Healthcare Design Expo & Conference and the Midwest Healthcare Engineering Conference & Trade Show. My co-presenters from Margaret Mary Health, Danis, and CMTA, and I shared the project’s electrification, decarbonization, and resiliency strategies. We discussed how our project team implemented a practical approach to sustainable design at the critical access hospital scale—one that balances the project’s programmatic and budgetary constraints with the healthcare system’s community legacy and long-term energy and resiliency goals.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is critical to the project, offering federal incentives for clean and renewable energy investments, decarbonization, sustainability investments, energy efficiency, and infrastructure upgrades. The potential saving of up to $2 million through IRA incentives was a key piece of the project’s financial strategy. The session addressed how healthcare systems, regardless of size or location, can leverage these sustainability incentives to pursue ambitious energy and decarbonization goals that will positively impact their facilities and communities.
See our presentation here.
Access our IRA Calculator here.
See more of our healthcare work here.
Mickey LeRoy, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP is a principal at GBBN. He leads teams in all phases of planning, design, and delivery of multi-faceted healthcare projects. With previous experience in public relations and marketing, Mickey’s communication skills complement his abilities in design and project management. His recent work includes Mercy Health’s Kings Mills Hospital, Mercy Health Deerfield Medical Center, and TriHealth’s Harold M. and Eugenia S. Thomas Comprehensive Care Center.
