Breakfast Roundtables

Article June 29, 2015 Read time:

Projects: Health Impact

Chronicles of Health Impact Assessment: The Formation of a Journal

Overview:

Chronicles of Health Impact Assessment will be an open-access online journal. This is a joint effort between the Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment (SOPHIA) and the Center for Health Policy at Indiana University’s Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. The journal will consider articles relating to health impact assessments, including original research, global projects, student submissions, health in all policies, evaluation, and education. Other topics will include proceedings, lessons from the field or practitioner tips, book reviews, and letters to the editor. Participants will discuss the editorial process, focus of future issues, and future opportunities for involvement with the journal.

Speakers:

Amber Comer, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University

Lauren Gase, Los Angeles Department of Public Health

Karen Lowrie, Rutgers University

Cynthia Stone, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Indiana University

Monetizing Morbidity and Mortality in HIA

Overview:

Decision makers are increasingly interested in accounting for health benefits and risks in transportation planning and policy making. The value of statistical life guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides a straightforward method for valuing avoided mortality. Yet monetizing morbidity is more complicated. The facilitator will provide an overview of two HIAs completed by the Health Impact Assessment Program within the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division to support Metro’s Climate Smart Communities Scenario Project. The case studies show that monetization can be advantageous in policy discussions. The facilitator will also discuss the significant expertise and resources required for this work.

Speakers:

Nicole Iroz-Elardo, Urban Design 4 Health, Inc.

Hitting the Mark with HIA When the Policy Is a Moving Target

Overview:

The Kansas Health Institute’s HIA team members will describe their experience with adjusting the assessment and recommendations according to major amendments to a bill modifying Kansas’ Liquor Control Act to allow sales of wine, liquor, and strong beer in grocery and convenience stores. The team will also illustrate how new assessment methodologies were included as a result of proposed changes to the policy and how the recommendations section of the HIA report was enhanced as a result.

Speakers:

Sarah Hartsig, Kansas Health Institute

Sheena Smith, Kansas Health Institute

Tatiana Lin, Kansas Health Institute

HIA in University Settings

Overview:

There is growing interest around the U.S. in developing HIA courses in academic institutions. Join this roundtable to hear lessons learned from several instructors who teach graduate-level HIA courses that provide students with hands-on experience with the HIA process.

Speakers:

Keshia Pollack, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Reoccurring Themes in HIA: Challenges and Countermeasures

Overview:

Many tools have been developed to help guide the HIA process. Still, unexpected issues can arise during the HIA process that requires teams to develop strategies and enact countermeasures. This session will discuss common challenges faced while performing an HIA and provides specific examples of strategies used to counteract developing issues.

Speakers:

Lauren Adkins, CSS-Dynamac

Tami Thomas-Burton, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Southeast Region: Building HIA Capacity in the Southeast

Overview:

This breakfast roundtable will be a discussion on growing HIA efforts in the Southeast. Attendees have an opportunity to learn about the collaborative process and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the Southeast in building HIA capacity.

Speakers:

Katherine Hebert, Creating Community Change Consulting

Screening Your HIA Topics

Overview

Experienced HIA practitioners will be available to discuss your potential HIA topics. Please feel free to bring any screening questions you might have as you decide whether to move forward with an HIA.

Speakers:

Amber Lenhart, Health Impact Project

Arielle McInnis-Simoncelli, Health Impact Project

Branding HIA

Overview:

This roundtable discussion will focus on how HIA programs can best present themselves to internal and external stakeholders. Participants will: 1) discuss tradeoffs in using the term HIA; 2) explore frames for HIA within Health in All Policies; and 3) consider strategies for appealing to reluctant stakeholders. The facilitators will begin by highlighting the path of a state HIA program in Oregon and a local health department program in Nebraska. Participants will then be invited to share challenges and successes in distinguishing HIA programs in a way that is accessible to diverse audiences.

Speakers:

Amber Lenhart, Health Impact Project

Arielle McInnis-Simoncelli, Health Impact Project

The Time is Now: Advancing the Practice of HIA at the State, Regional, and Federal Levels

Overview:

“Consideration of health is imbedded in all state, regional, and federal decision making. Decision makers at these levels value HIA as a tool to reach mutual goals and give all communities and individuals a voice in the decision process.” This is the vision for the future state of HIA practice set forth by a SOPHIA working group at the 2014 HIA of the Americas Workshop. This facilitated roundtable will provide an update on the activities of the SOPHIA working group and solicit input from HIA practitioners on specific actions identified in the working group’s road map for advancing HIA at the state, regional, and federal levels.

Speakers:

Florence Fulk, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Justicia Rhodus, CSS-Dynamac

The Face of HIA: Ensuring Diversity Among HIA Practitioners

Overview

This breakfast roundtable will engage attendees in a discussion about the diversity of the HIA field. As practitioners seek to engage a broad set of perspectives through specific HIA projects, so too should our practitioner group be inclusive of diverse viewpoints and experiences. This discussion will reflect on current involvement of different contributors to the HIA discourse, including practitioners, funders, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Speakers:

Sarah Rudolf, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Integrating a Systematic Approach to Health in National Green Building Programs

Overview:

This session will introduce attendees to the Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification programs and highlight how the collaborating organizations embedded aspects of HIA framework into the certification processes. Presenters will also describe how public health professionals, community members, and other stakeholders can play a role to collaborate with project teams to protect and promote public health when designing and building affordable housing, schools, worksites, and retail spaces.

Speakers:

Ray Demers, Enterprise Community Partners

Cheryl Gladstone, Enterprise Community Partners

Ruth Lindberg, Health Impact Project

Matthew Trowbridge, U.S. Green Building Council and University of Virginia School of Medicine

SOPHIA Meet and Greet

Overview:

Please join SOPHIA for an informal meet and greet during breakfast. All conference attendees are welcome to stop by the SOPHIA table, meet the Steering Committee and hear about how SOPHIA can help you further your HIA practice.

Speakers:

Nancy Goff, Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment

National Association of County and City Health Officials HIA Community of Practice

Overview:

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Health Impact Assessment Community of Practice (CoP) is a peer-to-peer collaborative learning and sharing environment geared toward enhancing local health departments’ utilization of innovative strategies and sparking ideas and conversations among practitioners. This roundtable session presents an opportunity to reconnect and continue conversations from the CoP meeting held Monday, June 15. CoP members who were not able to attend Monday’s meeting are encouraged to join the roundtable for an introduction and to review and sign the CoP Charter.