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

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.