Conference: From local to global – Health Impact Assessment to face new challenges

From the organisers:

The 13th International Conference on Health Impact Assessment (HIA) will take place on 2-4 October 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Please download the guiding document for the conference, which gives a first taste of the various tracks which are planned. The call for papers will be sent out in a few days. At the same time, the information about the abstract submission will become available on the conference website.
Key dates to remember:

• Abstract submission deadline: 31 May 2013

• Date of the conference: 2-4 October 2013

Mental Health Impact Assessment Report

From Lynn Todman at the Adler Institute on Social Exclusion:

Our report “U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Policy Guidance: A Mental Health Impact Assessment” has been completed and is available to you at adler.edu/MHIA

This report is the culmination of our 18-month study examining how changes in federal law regarding the use of arrest records in employment decisions would affect Chicago’s underserved Englewood neighborhood. The report also details the Mental Health Impact Assessment (MHIA) process that we employed at the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, constituting an important advance and contribution to the practice of Health Impact Assessment (HIA).

As you know, it is common for U.S. policy makers to consider factors like the natural environment, human physical health, and economic impact in their decision-making processes. Environmental Impact Assessments, Health Impact Assessments, and Economic Impact Assessment are increasingly common.  However, assessments that evaluate psychological or mental health impacts are rare, despite the fact that mental health is an essential element of healthy communities.

The MHIA process is intended help policy makers assess how changes in public policy may help or harm the mental health of communities, especially the most vulnerable. It is also a useful tool in helping to narrow health inequities, and will become increasingly important in light of dwindling mental health resources and support. Conducting an MHIA can help ensure that policies that are implemented will help reduce health inequities, and improve the health and wellbeing of communities and the nation.

Thank you for your interest in our work.  If we can answer questions or provide more information for you, please contact us at ISE@adler.edu

Support HIA Research in East Africa

CIHR Project Page

Kevin Pottie from the University of Ottawa and his colleagues in Canada have submitted a CIHR grant application to support the use of HIA by social entrepreneurs in East Africa. You can support their application by visiting the project page and clicking the like button, which is one of the factors CIHR considers.

The Rise of HIAs in the United States

The Health Impact Project has put out a nice infographic about the use of HIA across the U.S.:

Source

The untapped potential of health impact assessment

A fascinating paper by Mirko Winkler and colleagues has been published in the WHO Bulletin:

Countries and regions that are promoting HIA's use or have produced HIA guidance. Source

A paper on the “untapped potential of health impact assessment” has been published in the current issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. In this policy and practice piece, current health impact assessment (HIA) practice is summarized, the potential of HIA to become a critical player with the major drivers of global change (e.g. population growth and urbanization, growing pressure on natural resources and global climate change) is outlined, and it is discussed where and how HIA can become fully integrated into the impact assessment suite. HIA has an important role to play in of the unfolding 21st century’s sustainable development agenda, and if the Rio+20 agenda is to genuinely benefit vulnerable populations, then “health” must be an equal participant and partner at the table.

Link to article