Community health status is determined not only by factors such as alcohol and tobacco use, but also by environmental health indicators. Experts use Health Impact Assessments (HIA) to study how environmental health impacts public health. As HIA becomes more prevalent, community and professional organizations rise in finding further applications for the assessment tool. One such example is the San Francisco Bay Area Health Impact Assessment Collaborative that convenes government, non-profit, and academic HIA professionals to effectively integrate HIA in policy-making. Among the members of the Collaborative are Human Impact Partners; San Francisco Department of Public Health – Program on Health, Equity and Sustainability; and University of California, Berkeley Health Impact Group.
The Collaborative develops case studies, tools, training, policy, and industry partnerships to advance its mission. The case studies serve in demonstrating how Health Impact Assessment can marry with existing Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). The Collaborative strives to inform future San Francisco housing projects by reporting the retrospective effects on community health incurred as a result of public housing redevelopment. Tools developed by the Collaborative, such as the San Francisco Noise Model and the HIA Toolkit for Community Planning, address methods of advancing current HIA professionals. Yet the training and mentoring sector of the Collaborative assists in the education of potential future HIA practitioners, for example through a UC Berkeley School of Public Health course.
The policy implications of these initiatives inform local and state regulations drafted by the Collaborative. All facets of the Collaborative – case studies, tools, training, and policy – are reinforced by its partnerships with government, advocacy, consulting, environmental justice, research, and community-based organizations. The San Francisco Bay Area Health Impact Assessment Collaborative continues to utilize its relationships with the community and policymakers to further acceptance and prevalence of Health Impact Assessments. Ultimately Health Impact Assessment is designed to increase informed decision-making thus lowering the potential negative impact of environmental factors on public health.
