Oral

The National Research Council defines Health Impact Assessment (HIA) as “a systematic process that uses an array of data sources and analytic methods and considers input from stakeholders to determine the potential effects of a proposed policy, plan, program, or project on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects within the population. HIA provides recommendations on monitoring and managing those effects." The field of HIA is growing rapidly. Decision-makers are recognizing the utility of HIA for understanding the public health impacts of proposed activities, and public health professionals are recognizing the tool’s power for raising the profile of public health concerns in decision-making. In this coordinated session, speakers will describe methods and findings from five HIAs addressing local public health concerns. They will also discuss strengths and limitations of the method, and describe some of their experiences with the process of conducting and using HIA. For further information about HIA, see http://www.healthimpactproject.org/.

Session Objectives: * Describe methods used in a set of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) used to assess local public health impacts of proposed activities * Describe findings of these HIAs * Comment on strengths and limitations of the HIA method

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)