South Florida HIA Initiative

Health Impact Assessments (HIA) is a structured decision-support practice that is used to evaluate the anticipated health effects, both adverse and beneficial, of a project or policy before it is built or implemented. The HIA framework is used to bring potential public health impacts and considerations to the decision-making process for plans, projects, and policies that fall outside of traditional public health arenas, such as transportation and land use. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends HIA as a planning resource for implementing Healthy People 2020 (www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/hia.htm).

The need for informed decision-making with regard to health has become an imperative in our community. HIA is conducted, concluded and communicated in advance of a decision, allowing for information generated to be used to shape a final project proposal. HIA addresses health needs by incorporating a broad definition of health, consideration of economic, social or environmental health determinants, involvement of affected stakeholders, explicit concerns about social justice, as well as a commitment to transparency in the decision-making process.  Many national and regional organizations have advocated for the utility of HIA and have funded projects in other areas. However, a combination of limited capacity and funding has stood in the way of South Florida’s engagement in this important new field.

HIA Webinar & Discussion – July 23, 2012

Urban Health Partnerships (UHP) and Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) led a discussion on HIA, how they can be used to connect bicycle and pedestrian safety and health, and their use in South Florida on July 24, 2012. Click below to access materials from the event as well as additional materials.

Printed Materials from HIA Webinar & Discussion

Additional Resources