HIA Toolkit Overview
A Regional HIA Toolkit will help facilitate the incorporation of health impacts into local planning, land use, transportation, and development design and permitting decisions in the municipalities in the Capital Region. The objective of the HIA Toolkit Project is to develop, disseminate, and implement a detailed, robust online HIA toolkit that is readily available to professional planners and the public, and will include documentation that will allow users within the region to download, replicate, and adapt HIA as a practice in their communities.
The capabilities and functions of the HIA Toolkit are based on extensive stakeholder participation and a detailed User Needs Analysis involving the target users in regional government and private sector to ensure that the HIA toolkit meets the needs of the target users.
A two-page summary of the toolkit suitable as a hand-out is available for download here.
The capabilities and functions of the HIA Toolkit are based on extensive stakeholder participation and a detailed User Needs Analysis involving the target users in regional government and private sector to ensure that the HIA toolkit meets the needs of the target users.
A two-page summary of the toolkit suitable as a hand-out is available for download here.
Capabilities include:
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Links to online resources, best practices, HIA practitioners, government and private sector entities using HIAs, and other resources as appropriate; links to projects that have used the toolkit; at least two case studies of successful applications of the toolkit; and documentation that will facilitate adaptation of the online toolkit by other jurisdictions.
The HIA Toolkit uses a Health Impact Assessment Checklist to assess local projects, programs, and policies. Since 2004, Meridian Township has been using a Health Impact Assessment Checklist on every new development project and providing annual summary reports to Ingham County Health Department on the various projects that have been modified as a result of the checklist for health considerations, including: water quality, air quality, noise, social capital, physical activity and injury prevention.
By using the HIA Toolkit, a user can locate a project on an online base map, select mapped information about that location, and evaluate the project using a checklist approach, which is based on the very successful HIA checklist that has been used for 10 years in the Meridian Township permitting process.
The HIA Toolkit uses a Health Impact Assessment Checklist to assess local projects, programs, and policies. Since 2004, Meridian Township has been using a Health Impact Assessment Checklist on every new development project and providing annual summary reports to Ingham County Health Department on the various projects that have been modified as a result of the checklist for health considerations, including: water quality, air quality, noise, social capital, physical activity and injury prevention.
By using the HIA Toolkit, a user can locate a project on an online base map, select mapped information about that location, and evaluate the project using a checklist approach, which is based on the very successful HIA checklist that has been used for 10 years in the Meridian Township permitting process.
Participants
This program is being conducted by the Ingham County Health Department and Michigan State University. Major participants in this program include the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission,the Environmental and Community Health Offices within the Ingham County Health Department, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department, and the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, which includes Clinton County.
Program Sponsors
The HIA Toolkit was developed through funding provided by the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Initiative and Regional Planning Program. The objective of this project is to develop tools and best practices to help integrate HIA in local planning and decision making.
In addition, the grants supported the creation of health impact assessments of two projects in the Capital Region: The Five-Year Fair and Affordable Housing Plan and the Urban Services Management Area Policy.
Contacts
How can you become involved?
The Mid-Michigan Regional HIA Program was led by a member of the Project Team listed below. Each aspect of the program has its own advisory committee that you are welcome to join:
Janine Sinno Janoudi. Health Impact Assessment coordinator for the Fair and Affordable Housing Plan and the Rural Service Management Boundary. Dr. Janoudi is working closely with the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition and with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Urban Service Management committee. You may contact Janine at [email protected] or (517) 887-4664.
Michael R. Thomas. Online Health Impact Assessment Tool lead coordinator. Dr. Thomas, at Michigan State University, is working closely with area planners and environmental health units of local health departments. You may contact Michael at [email protected] or (517) 332-2986.
Jessica Yorko. Health Equity Impact Resource Tool lead coordinator is Jessica Yorko who is working closely with Ingham County Board of Health and Ingham County Board of Commissioners. You may contact Jessica at [email protected] or (517) 272-4147.
Harmony Gmazel. Regional coordination between the HIA Program and MMPGS programs on FAHP and URSMA was provided by Harmony Gmazel, Land Use Planner at Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. You may contact Harmony at [email protected] or (517) 393-0342.
Overall project management is provided by Ingham County Health Department: Janine Sinno Janoudi, Health Policy Analyst.
The Mid-Michigan Regional HIA Program was led by a member of the Project Team listed below. Each aspect of the program has its own advisory committee that you are welcome to join:
Janine Sinno Janoudi. Health Impact Assessment coordinator for the Fair and Affordable Housing Plan and the Rural Service Management Boundary. Dr. Janoudi is working closely with the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition and with the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Urban Service Management committee. You may contact Janine at [email protected] or (517) 887-4664.
Michael R. Thomas. Online Health Impact Assessment Tool lead coordinator. Dr. Thomas, at Michigan State University, is working closely with area planners and environmental health units of local health departments. You may contact Michael at [email protected] or (517) 332-2986.
Jessica Yorko. Health Equity Impact Resource Tool lead coordinator is Jessica Yorko who is working closely with Ingham County Board of Health and Ingham County Board of Commissioners. You may contact Jessica at [email protected] or (517) 272-4147.
Harmony Gmazel. Regional coordination between the HIA Program and MMPGS programs on FAHP and URSMA was provided by Harmony Gmazel, Land Use Planner at Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. You may contact Harmony at [email protected] or (517) 393-0342.
Overall project management is provided by Ingham County Health Department: Janine Sinno Janoudi, Health Policy Analyst.