January 27, 2015—You are invited to attend a presentation sponsored by The Kohala Center and Habitat Health Impact Consulting that will address the way in which Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) can be used as a tool for incorporating health and well-being concerns into public policymaking.
HIAs help identify and address the likely health benefits and risks of a decision made in fields outside the health sector. They use a flexible approach that brings together public health expertise, scientific data, and input from community and other stakeholders to examine the potential health risks and benefits of key policy proposals. Based on the potential effects identified, HIAs provide practical recommendations to capitalize on opportunities to improve community health and to minimize any potential health risks.
A general orientation to HIA will be presented, grounded in examples from an ongoing HIA taking place in the Hawai‘i context: members of a Hawai‘i-based research team, comprised of representatives from Sust‘āinable Molokai, The Kohala Center, and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, are conducting an HIA of the health-related benefits and/or costs of establishing a community-managed fishery on the north shore of Moloka‘i and will share their experiences.
HIA has the potential to provide support for the process by which Hawaiian communities can gain greater authority to manage local natural resources in culturally appropriate and environmentally sound ways. Students and researchers from all disciplines are invited to join us in learning more about this valuable methodology.