Online Program

338187
Advancing the use of Health Impact Assessments in the United States: The Work of the Health Impact Project


Monday, November 2, 2015 : 10:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.

Keshia Pollack, PhD, MPH, Department of Health Policy and Management, Center for Injury Research and Policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
Amber Lenhart, MPH, Health Impact Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, DC
The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, was established in 2009 to promote and support the use of health impact assessment (HIA) in the United States. HIAs identify the potential health effects of a proposed policy, project, or program to inform policymakers, those affected by the decision, and others with an interest in the outcome, and to offer practical options for maximizing health benefits while minimizing health risks. HIAs have been applied to a range of decisions including those addressing transportation, housing, social and economic policy, natural resources and energy, and education. To date, the project has invested over $20 million in advancing the field, and has funded over 100 assessments, supported training for more than 1,300 individuals, and served as a convener for practitioners. As of April 2015, there are over 345 HIAs either completed or in progress—up from 54 HIAs in 2009 when the project began. This presentation begins with a discussion of the basics of HIA, along with an overview of the field. Next, examples of how the Health Impact Project is making health a routine consideration in decision-making are presented. Finally, we present a case example to demonstrate how HIAs can impact the decision-making process, inequities, and social determinants of health.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the use of health impact assessments in advancing public health.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been an associate with the Health Impact Project for two years. The Health Impact Project was established in 2009 to support and promote health impact assessment as a way to integrate public health considerations into decisions made outside the health sector. The Health Impact Project has funded over 100 HIAs, supported the training of over 1,300 individuals, and served as a convener and facilitator of the growth of the field.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.