31 July 2010

New Health Impact Assessment Website: UCLA's HIA-CLIC



UCLA HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT
CLEARINGHOUSE LEARNING & INFORMATION CENTER (HIA-CLIC)


http://www.hiaguide.org

Designed for Health Impact Assessment (HIA) practitioners, public health, planning and environmental professionals, public officials and community members, the new HIA-CLIC website includes:
  • A database of completed and in-process HIAs across the U.S. with summaries and links to more information, searchable by keyword, type of policy and more;
  • Reviews and tutorials on tools and methodologies used in HIAs with links to organizations providing technical assistance;
  • Summaries of the research linking policies in different sectors with a wide range of health effects;
  • Announcements of upcoming HIA training workshops across the U.S.; Downloadable HIA training guides and related materials to make HIA easier and more efficient;
  • List of HIA-related legislation by state for the U.S.
Created by the UCLA HIA Project, UCLA School of Public Health with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

30 July 2010

Prevention Institute on the Role of HIA in US National Health Reform

The Prevention Institute has offered some ideas on how HIA can contriibute to a broader health reform agenda in its testimony to the National Research Council Committee on Health Impact Assessment:
With the passage of the Affordable Care Act we have unprecedented funding to address health in a comprehensive, cross-cutting way that takes into account the broad determinants of health. The approach is rooted in equity and in the needs of communities. In order to do this work well, it must be done sustainably with an emphasis on changing norms and institutionalizing health-promoting principles. We see HIA as playing a critical role in supporting this work and offer the following preliminary recommendations to maximize the added value of HIA in the context of health reform.
More here.

26 July 2010

Input Required: Second Draft of IFC Performance Standards

As many of you will be aware the International Finance Corporation is reviewing its performance standards.

The IFC is now in the second phase of the review and they accept further comments before the end of this month. The new draft is available from:

http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/policyreview.nsf/Content/ProvideInput

Second Announcement: HIA 2010 3rd Asia and Pacific Health Impact Assessment Conference 17-19 November 2010

HIA2010: 3rd Asia and Pacific Health Impact Assessment Conference

17-19 November 2010
University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand


2nd Announcement


Conference organisers are pleased to announce that online registrations and submissions of abstracts, theme proposals, etc. are now open on the conference website: www.iaia.org/hia2010. Note that the deadlines have been put back a little to allow for the delayed opening of online submissions.

Please see the attached poster: print a copy for your noticeboard, send it to any colleagues who might be interested in the meeting.

Expanded description of conference themes is available on the conference website, under Program > Themes. Information about the location, and accommodation options can also be found on the website. More information will be posted over the next few weeks. However if anyone has specific questions about the conference, please feel free to email hia2010@otago.ac.nz

Richard Morgan,
Chair, HIA2010 Organising Committee.

Health in All Policies Adelaide 2010 International Meeting: Special Issue of the Public Health Bulletin South Australia

A special issue of the Public Health Bulletin South Australia on Health in All Policies (HiAP) is now online:

http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/publications/public-health-bulletin.htm

The issue includes articles on:
  • Adelaide Statement on Health in All Policies

  • Reflections on the Adelaide 2010 Health in All Policies International Meeting

  • Health governance in the 21st century: a commentary

  • Holistic government and what works

  • Health in All Policies: European Union experience and perspectives

  • Health in All Policies across jurisdictions - snapshot from Sweden

  • Health behind the dykes: health in a lot of policies in the Netherlands

  • Health in All Policies at the local level in Finland

  • Health in All Policies - critical elements of South Australia’s approach

  • Intersectoral governance for Health in All Policies: an integrated framework

  • The financial crisis: a case for Health in All Policies?

  • Economic growth, economic decline and implications for Health in All Policies

  • Health in All Policies: a pathway for thinking about our broader societal goals

  • Obituary: Konrad David Jamrozik

It's an interesting issue with a diverse range of contributions - certainly worth a look.

19 July 2010

The Italian legislation on Health Impact Assessment: the current national and regional regulatory framework

Interestingly there is an Italian HIA network see the authors below. Love to hear more about this network and what they are doing.

Abstract
The scientific literature on HIA is particularly rich in Anglo-Saxon countries (United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand), in Sweden and in the Netherlands, while in Italy there are not many scientific studies published on this theme. The study conducted showed that in Italy no laws relating to HIA have been enacted yet and that all laws enacted so far considered only EIA. Actually, legislation on environmental impact is in continuous expansion, even if at present, some regions have not yet passed a specified EIA-dealing law. In Italy the protection of health is promoted almost exclusively at a strictly medical level; decisions with strong social and environmental impact are not normally designed with particular regard to health issues. To increase in our country the interest for HIA, it would seem appropriate to discuss the usefulness of introducing health impact assessment in national and regional legislation. A possible law may indeed sensitize non-health decision makers to HIA, bringing Italy among the most innovative countries.
The main article is in Italian and can be found at Ann Ig. 2010 Mar-Apr;22(2):147-55.

Authors:
Bert F, Ceruti M, Colombo A, Lovato E, Bruno S, Costa G, Liguori G, Manzoli L, Siliquini R; Network Italiano HIA.

Collaborators:
Scuola di Specializzazione in Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, Università degli Studi di Torino.Geraci S, De Vito E, Baglio G, Ricciardi W, Bruno S, Specchia ML, De Waure C, Manzoli L, Liguori G, Scaletti A, Del Cimmuto A, Pocetta G, Capunzo M, Boccia G, Cavallo P, Nante N, Lupoli A, Siliquini R, Costa G, Versino E.

17 July 2010

Oregon HIAs


I just came across this site. Oregon have done at least 6 HIAs over the last 3 years or so. Click the IA title links to download the HIAs or better stil go and check out their site at:

http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/hia/completedhias.shtml


Tumalo, Oregon, Community Comprehensive Plan HIA
This HIA includes health-based recommendations for changes to the Community Comprehensive Plan, focusing on traffic calming measures and safety along Highway 20 which runs north and south through the Tumalo community, Deschutes County.

North Central Public Health District (NCPHD) Walkability HIA
NCPHD conducted a walkability assessment around the Chenowith Elementary School in The Dalles, Wasco County, looking at safety, geo-spatial analysis, and local community concerns.

Benton County accessory dwelling units (ADUs) HIA
This is a summary of Benton County's review of residential ADU policy options. The summary document outlines the policy recommendations that were considered and their implications. Benton County will be adding changes to the final version of this HIA.

Clark County (WA) Highway 99 Sub-Area Plan Health Impact Assessment

Vehicle Miles Traveled HIA, May 2009
Upstream Public Health and researchers at Oregon Health and Sciences University conducted this HIA of policies intended to reduce driving in Oregon. The full report, fact sheet and executive summary are available through the link above.

Columbia River Crossing HIA, June 2008
Multnomah County Health Department and partners conducted an HIA of the proposed expansion of the Columbia River Crossing, a bridge and highway connecting Oregon and Washington. Results were presented in the form of a comment letter on the project's Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

1 July 2010

New US HIAs funded by the Health Impact Project

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Pew Charitable Trusts, announced today the award of more than $1 million in grants to HIA researchers in California, Georgia, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Texas and Hawaii.

The US researchers will conduct a health impact assessment of proposals that range from the transformation of an old Ford assembly plant into a mixed use shopping/office complex near the Atlanta airport to a plan to build a light rail transit line in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region.

The six grantees announced are:
  1. The Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development (CQGRD), a research center of the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture, will conduct a comprehensive HIA on the site of a former Ford assembly plant. The location contained several contaminated industrial sites that were cleaned in preparation for the repurposing of this land. The 122-acre site, located in Hapeville, Georgia, adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, is slated for the “Aerotropolis Atlanta” development project, which will result in over 6.5 million square feet of office, hotel, shopping and airport parking facilities, as well as a solar energy component. CQGRD will use the HIA to consider the project’s range of potential benefits and impacts on surrounding communities, and to offer a series of practical measures to maximize health benefits, potentially positioning the Aerotropolis as a catalyst for healthy, sustainable living. The stakeholder engagement strategy ensures input from the community, developers, local agencies and other stakeholders and will incorporate these results into HIA findings. A final report is expected to be ready in June 2011.
  2. ISAIAH, TakeAction Minnesota and PolicyLink are working together in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to conduct an HIA of proposed land-use changes related to a new light-rail transit line that will connect the Twin Cities. The Central Corridor Light Rail Transit line, which runs through low-income and immigrant communities in St. Paul, could have wide-reaching, positive impacts on health if it leads to a reduction in air pollution and increased access to grocery stores, parks and open space without residential and commercial displacement. Throughout the HIA, there will be an emphasis on stakeholder engagement to help build relationships between community members and organizations, key city and state agencies and policy makers, as well as ensure the HIA analysis focuses on issues key to impacted communities. Preliminary HIA findings are anticipated to be available by the summer of 2011. A public meeting will be held to share data, findings and recommendations upon completion of the project.
  3. The Kohala Center will work in partnership the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Hawaii to develop an HIA that guides the creation of an agricultural plan for the county of Hawaii. As a nonprofit research and educational institute, The Kohala Center has strong community and decision maker support for the HIA. It will look at the health effects of proposals that range from increasing the production of fruits and vegetables to setting aside more land for growing bioiofuel or agricultural crops for exportation. The HIA findings, anticipated in December 2011, will help the county council craft a plan that maximizes health while balancing a complex set of contending priorities. Some HIA recommendations might be adopted as new county regulations or ordinances and be used to inform state-level agricultural policies.
  4. The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, a nonpartisan, independent organization that pursues data-based research on public policy issues, will develop an HIA that will inform state lawmakers on the budget process beginning January 2011 and ending in June of the same year. The HIA will evaluate proposed state budget changes and show how funding changes in these areas might affect the health of residents. A synthesis of HIA findings and recommendations will be presented at a policy forum in mid-2011 and will be made available to legislators for their consideration during the budget process. The HIA will be guided by an interdisciplinary advisory group with participants from the legislature, state agencies and several advocacy groups to maximize the effect the information has on the budgeting process.
  5. Texas Southern University, in collaboration with Houston Tomorrow and Baylor College of Medicine, will conduct an HIA to help inform Houston’s Urban Corridor Planning project. The city initiative calls for transit-oriented development in 65 Houston neighborhoods through which a 30-mile, five-corridor light-rail expansion is planned. The HIA will examine potential health impacts that could result from the creation of city ordinances and incentives to promote transit-oriented development in the rail corridors. Increased access to public transportation and services, mixed land-use development and affordable housing are among the potential outcomes of transit-oriented development that could ultimately benefit health. This study will look at specific data and conditions for neighborhoods surrounding three of the planned rail stations. A multi-tiered plan for stakeholder involvement will help ensure that community and decision maker input is incorporated throughout the HIA process. Results are anticipated in late spring 2011. Decision makers will also be briefed directly on the final HIA recommendations.
  6. · The University of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will team up to conduct two health impact assessments. The first HIA will assess the potential health effects of a proposed subway and other mass-transit alternatives through Los Angeles’ high-density, high-traffic Wilshire Corridor running from mid-town Los Angeles to the city of Santa Monica. A final HIA report, expected in June 2011, will provide evidence-based recommendations to maximize the health benefits of the Wilshire Corridor alternatives. In the second HIA, the project partners will help decision makers weigh the public health implications of different municipal water-conservation policies — another critical regional issue. HIA recommendations for this project will aim to address current, as well as long-term, projected water shortages tied to population growth and climate change.