Using Health Impact Assessment as a tool to Build Healthy Communities – a funder's perspective

The California Endowment (TCE), a private statewide health foundation, has embarked on an ambitious, 10 year multi-million dollar plan to improve health in 14 communities in California so that children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. At the heart of the Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative is a focus on place, policy and people; because where we live, work and play impacts our health and the people most impacted by poor health outcomes must be involved in shaping their environments. BHC sees health impact assessment (HIA) as a key tool for community participation and sustained health improvement. HIA elevates the role of health in decision-making by allowing multiple government sectors, community organizations, industries and impacted communities to consider the health impacts of policies, projects and practice. TCE has been investing in the development and deployment of HIA for many years and continues to support projects and communities adopting HIA tools. This is a critical period in the growth of the field. While funded projects show promise, increased successes are needed as more practitioners begin work on new topics, and as opposition emerges. In this presentation, examples of funded HIA projects will be shared. These range from developing health promoting community benefits agreements, identifying health impacts of expanding transportation routes and other planning projects, and evaluating school discipline policies. Successes, challenges and outcomes of these programs from a funder's perspective will be shared, as well as how funding strategies can advance the field of HIA more broadly.