''Health Impact Assessments Take on Broader Role in Cities and States''
Aaron Wernham, director of the Health Impact Project discusses the benefits of health impact assessments in this edition of Governing.
More info"The city of Greenville’s plan to develop a park and other amenities in its West Side neighborhood could promote healthier lifestyles for residents of an area with high obesity rates and a high rate of emergency room utilization, a new study shows.
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The Health Assessment Study was a yearlong study that involved city officials, urban planners, community members and other stakeholders to determine the health value of adding green space and trails to the West Side.
'The application of HIA served as a valuable tool for advancing the conversation around community health and the built environment. As a result, health, which is often overlooked in community development, became a front-burner issue,' said Maya Pack, the institute’s associate director of research and strategic initiatives.
Work on the Health Impact Assessment began in March 2012 when the institute was awarded one of two national demonstration grants by the National Network of Public Health Institutes. This grant was provided with support from the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts."
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Aaron Wernham, director of the Health Impact Project discusses the benefits of health impact assessments in this edition of Governing.
More infoThe Health Impact Project announced eight new grant recipients that will receive funding to conduct health impact assessments, or HIAs. The projects will bring health considerations into upcoming decisions on topics including education, sanitation infrastructure, and energy. The grantees were selected based on their response to a national call for proposals.
More infoThe Health Impact Project announces a request for proposals (RFP) that will fund three grants of up to $100,000 each to identify and address potential health impacts of an upcoming decision in each of their communities or state through the use of health impact assessments (HIA).
More infoThe New York Times interviews Aaron Wernham, project director for the Health Impact Project, about the growing field of health impact assessments.
More infoMinnesota organizations are invited to participate in an in-person training to learn about health impact assessments (HIAs). An HIA can help improve the well-being of local communities by incorporating health into decisions in other sectors.
More info"A new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation concludes that getting rid of junk food at school boosts kids’ health and doesn’t hurt schools financially. Even many snack food companies are on board."
More info"'The evidence is clear and compelling,' said Jessica Donze Black, director of the Kids’ Safe & Healthful Foods Project in a press release. 'Implementing strong national nutrition standards to make the snacks and beverages our children consume healthier is something that schools and districts can afford. The USDA should do all it can to finalize and help implement strong standards.'"
More infoAaron Wernham, director of the Health Impact Project, explains how by systematically assessing the health risks of development decisions upfront, health impact assessments can prevent costly and harmful mistakes.
More info"A study released late last month delivers the message: Make competitive foods offered in schools healthier, too. The study was a collaboration between the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and came from two projects, the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project – the director, Jessica Donze Black, is a University of Delaware graduate – and the Health Impact Project."
More infoThe Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, announced a call for proposals for grants to conduct health impact assessments (HIAs). HIAs identify and address the health impacts of decisions in other sectors, such as planning roads, passing agriculture legislation, or siting schools.
More infoPew and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation collaborate to examine impact of updated USDA standards for snack and a la carte foods and beverages sold in schools.
More info"A recent study has reaffirmed what local school officials already knew: Student health and school budgets can both benefit from higher nutrition standards."
More info"The Health Impact Project, released Tuesday by the Kids’ Safe & Healthful Foods Project, was conducted to examine how the agency’s new policies will affect student nutrition and how new dietary standards would affect school revenues."
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