Working in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Blue Cross Foundation is providing funding and technical support for health impact assessments (HIA) in Minnesota. To learn more about health impact assessments, please visit www.healthimpactproject.org/.
Call for proposals now open
The Health Impact Project has issued a call for proposals to support up to three new health impact assessments (HIA) in Minnesota with proposals due May 15.
HIAs are increasingly being used to bring public health concerns into public policy decisions. In 2007, there were 27 completed HIAs in the U.S. There are now over 200 completed and in progress.
According to the
map of HIA activity in the U.S., there are 12 assessments in Minnesota, including the two supported by the Health Impact Project with funding from the Blue Cross Foundation:
An
HIA by the City of Minneapolis, for example, will inform revisions to the Above the Falls Master Plan, which is intended to increase public access and use of the waterfront, improve housing and employment opportunities, and reduce environmental contamination.
The Bottineau Transitway HIA, conducted by Hennepin County, will inform planning decisions that have the potential to benefit the health of residents along the corridor by improving air quality; creating opportunities for exercise; improving access to grocery stores, employment, and health services; and spurring reinvestment in housing and retail services.
