SCREENING

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Module 2 Screening
Goal The goal of screening is to determine if an
in-depth impact assessment is necessary and if an
HIA adds value to the decision-making process.
Health Impact Assessment for Healthy PlacesA
Guide for Planning and Public Health
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Module 2 Objectives
1. Identify steps 2. Use screening tools to
select policies for assessment 3. Describe the
role of the community and stakeholders in the
screening process 4. Describe challenges
communities have encountered with the screening
process
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Steps in the Screening Process

• Define the policy, program or project
• Determine whether you should conduct an HIA
• Choose what type of assessment to complete
• Identify the potential health impacts
• Review screening decision with stakeholders

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HIA Steps are Fluid
It is important to remember that the steps in the
HIA process are fluid and it may be necessary to
revisit previous steps in the process. For
example if there is a major change in the
proposed policy or project or the population it
is expected to influence, it may be necessary to
return to the screening process.
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Define the Project or Policy

• Who is proposing the project or policy?
• What is their predicted timeframe?
• When is a decision going to be made?
• What are they proposing?
• Are there any other projects or policies that
  may be affected by the proposal or influencethe
  proposal?

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When is an HIA appropriate?

• Outside the health sector
• Significant health impacts that are not already
  being considered
• The HIA can be completed before key decisions are
  made
• Stakeholders will use information
• Sufficient data and resources are available

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When is an HIA inappropriate?

• Information is vague and unreliable
• Little or no local support for an HIA
• Stakeholders will not take health into
  consideration
• Decisions have already been made

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Selection Criteria

• Is the health impact significant?
• Does the HIA add value to the decision-making
  process?
• Is there enough knowledge and data available to
  conduct the HIA?
• Are resources such as time money and personnel
  available to conduct an HIA?
• Remember For your first HIA, choose a project
  that is manageable.

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Types of HIAs
Rapid Intermediate Comprehensive
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Rapid HIA

• Provides a broad overview
• Used at an early policy development stage
• Limited time/resources are available
• Collecting and analyzing existing data and
  researching previous HIAs
• Days to weeks with minimal resources

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Intermediate HIA

• Provides more detailed information
• Most frequent HIA approach
• Allows more thorough investigation of health
  impacts which increases reliability
• Involves
• reviewing available evidence
• looking at any similar HIAs
• collecting and analyzing new data
• gathering community input
• Can take weeks to months to complete

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Comprehensive HIA

• Thorough assessment of potential health impacts
• Least frequently used
• Involves
• review of available evidence and any similar HIAs
• collecting and assessing new data using multiple
  methods and sources (quantitative and qualitative
  data including stakeholders opinions)
• community input
• A comprehensive HIA may take a long time to
  complete

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What type of HIA would you conduct

• A city plans to develop a run-down
  neighborhood-demolishing 3 blocks of dilapidated
  retail shops, an aging supermarket, and 200 low
  income housing units.
• The developer has agreed to allocate 5,000 to
  the health department to conduct the HIA if the
  city will expedite the approval process. This
  only gives the health department 2 weeks to
  complete the assessment.

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What type of HIA would you conduct

• A large metropolitan city has long-term plans to
  transform 22 miles of abandoned rail roads and
  brownfields in its inner city into transit,
  parks, trails, and mixed use developments.

This project will intersect 45 neighborhoods and
impact an estimated 100,000 people. The project
will impact some of the wealthiest and poorest
neighborhoods in the city.
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What type of HIA would you conduct

• Plans are being made to lay a pipeline through
  native territory in Alaska. There is fear that
  this will disrupt the native life style, hurting
  the traditional hunting and fishing practices of
  the people.

Theres one person with a half time commitment to
conducting this HIA and they have 1 year to
complete the HIA.
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How a community can help?

• Understanding the decision and its alternatives
• Judging the breadth and magnitude of health
  effects
• Determining the strength of the evidence
• Identifying available and ongoing analysis
• Understanding competing stakeholder positions
• Identifying potential for improvements

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What actions can a steering committee take?

• Ask a public or private agency to conduct HIA
  analysis directly
• Choose a high priority project among alternatives
  considered for an HIA
• Conduct interviews with community to inform the
  screening process
• Synthesize community testimony from public
  meetings and hearings

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Challenges in HIA Screening

• Deciding between alternative projects/policies
• Choosing a project that is manageable so that
  there is not a sense of being overwhelmed