28 October 2009

Thought for the day

"[The public should] tolerate the inequality as a way of achieving greater prosperity for all."

Lord Griffiths, vice chair of Goldman Sachs,
speaking about bank employee bonuses in the UK.


To read a fuller discussion see The Guardian by clicking here.

26 October 2009

The positive health and wellbeing impacts of Somali pirates!


Somali pirates have been terrorising shipping and kidnapping crews for well over a decade.

However, this year we are seeing the positives of these pirates keeping away the foreign factory fishing trawlers from the shores of East Africa. Kenyan fishermen are reporting record hauls and are enjoying one of the best fishing seasons in almost a generation.


23 October 2009

Scenes from HIA 09 Rotterdam

Gosh!

Was it only a week ago that we had a very successful and fun conference in Rotterdam, HIA '09 the 10th HIA conference.

It feels like yesterday!

Rotterdam is an amazing city because of the mix of industrial, commercial and shipping activities.

Check out the video (on 'knitworking') and photos of the conference and Rotterdam here.

Or play the slideshow by clicking here.

To view the longer video that shows how we got out of our 'knitwork' click here.

I particularly enjoyed the quantification sessions and the river cruise dinner in the evening. It was great to catch with people like B H-R. And it would have been great to have a day just catching up with people! Maybe next time...

The presentations should be up on the conference website anytime soon. Click here to go to it.

The next conference city is yet to be decided on and is likely to take place in 18 months time.

In the meantime you can think about going to the IAIA conference in Geneva 6-11th Apri 2010l. Click here for more details.

21 October 2009

US Health Impact Project launches, with opportunities for funding

The Health Impact Project today released a call for proposals to fund up to 15 health impact assessments (HIAs) at the local, state and tribal levels. HIAs are a flexible, data-driven approach that identify the health consequences of new policies and programs, and develop practical strategies to maximize their health benefits and minimize adverse effects.

Grants will range from between $25,000 and $150,000 each. Government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations at all levels of policy and program development are encouraged to apply. The call for proposals and other information about the project is available at www.healthimpactproject.org

The last two decades of health research have demonstrated the profound importance of social, economic and environmental decisions to the health of Americans. To stem the rising tide of chronic disease and create safe, thriving communities, health needs to be factored into decisions that affect the public. HIAs provide an avenue to do just that. They are a valuable tool to help government and community leaders working across all sectors-from agriculture and food production to transportation and planning-make smart decisions that lead to healthier communities.

A collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Health Impact Project is a national initiative designed to promote the use of HIAs as a decision-making tool for policymakers.

3 October 2009

Follow us on Twitter

In addition to the HIA Blog we also regularly update our Twitter account with HIA-related news and information. Follow us at:

twitter.com/hiablog

2 October 2009

International Association for Impact Assessment Health Quarterly: Strange Days Indeed

The latest issue of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) Health Quarterly is available for download [PDF 447 Kb]:

http://bit.ly/iTOhr

This issue is on the theme of Strange Days Indeed and covers:
  • The Economic Crisis and Public Health
  • Responses to the H1N1 Pandemic
  • The New Health Section Co-Chair
  • Climate Change, Peak Oil and HIA
  • IAIA09 in Ghana
  • HIA Research in Ireland
  • Dutch Intersectoral Policy Advice
  • WHO Activity on Health and Development Lending
  • HIA and Water Resources
  • The Health Impacts of the Sydney Dust Storm
Ben Harris-Roxas
Quarterly Editor

Ben Cave and Francesca Viliani
IAIA Health Section Co-Chairs