''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"During my medical residency, I once treated an asthmatic boy. It was his third hospital admission in two months. Despite specialty medical care and cutting-edge treatments, his condition worsened whenever he went home. His mom was worried that their run-down apartment, which had mold and ancient carpeting, was the problem. I remember asking the supervising physician if there was any way to write a prescription for a new apartment.
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The growing field of health impact assessments (HIAs) provides a way to factor health outcomes into decisions that affect both housing and neighborhoods, such as zoning, road-building, codes, or neighborhood revitalization.
HIAs can assist decision makers in identifying unintended risks, reducing preventable illnesses and disabilities, finding practical solutions, and leveraging spending from outside the health sector to improve a community’s well-being. HIAs also provide a powerful way for communities to bring their concerns to the policymaking process.
An HIA is commonly performed by health departments or community organizations, rather than the stakeholder in charge of making the final decision. An HIA on a land use decision that will be made by a planning agency, for example, may be performed by a health department or a community coalition."
- Date added:
- Jul 24, 2012
- Project:
- Health Impact Project
- Topic:
- Health Impact Assessment
- Related Expert:
- Aaron Wernham
Related Resources
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