NSW Health Impact Assessment Project - Phase 3
Project Status
Completed
Project Coordinator
Elizabeth Harris
Chief Investigators
Elizabeth Harris, Sarah Simpson, Ben Harris-Roxas
Other Team Members
Patrick Harris, Marilyn Wise
Rationale
Our work on health impact assessment began in 2003 when CHETRE was funded to explore the potential use of health impact assessment within the NSW health system, as recommended in the NSW Health and Equity Statement. The Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) was successful in winning the tender to undertake Phase 3 of the NSW Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Project, 2005-2007. This phase of the project began in 2005 and will run for three years.
Aim
Phase 3 will build on Phases 1 and 2 with a view to integrating HIA into the NSW Health System as a tool to improve internal planning and decision-making, and as a way to engage external partners on initiatives which influence health outcomes.
Design and Method
The project seeks to build NSW Health’s capacity to undertake health impact assessment while researching:
- how health impact assessment can be used to redress health inequities;
- how health impact assessment can be used as a mechanism for intersectoral planning; and
- approaches to capacity building.
Project activities centre on a “learning by doing” approach. Twelve sites from across NSW Health have undertaken health impact assessments, with 8 more to commence in 2006. Participants are supported by CHETRE through training, site visits, a health impact assessment helpdesk and online resources.
Key Publications
Harris E. Contemporary Debates in Health Impact Assessment: What? Why? When? NSW Public Health Bulletin, 16(7-8):107-108, 2005.
Harris E, Sainsbury P, Staff M. Guest Editorial: Health Impact Assessment in New South Wales. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 16(7-8):105-106, 2005. (Editorial)
Harris-Roxas B, Simpson S. NSW Health Impact Assessment Project. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 16(7-8):120-123, 2005.
Harris-Roxas B, Simpson S, Harris E. Impact Assessment, a discussion paper prepared for the NSW Health Futures Planning Project, Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE): Liverpool, 2005.
Simpson S. An Introduction to Health Impact Assessment. NSW Public Health Bulletin, 16(7-8):106-107, 2005.
Simpson S, Harris E, Harris-Roxas B. Health Impact Assessment: an introduction to the what, when and how, Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 15(2): 162-167, 2004.
Furber S, Gray E, Harris-Roxas B, Neville L, Dews C, Thackway S. Rapid Versus Intermediate Health Impact Assessment of Foreshore Development Plans, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18(9-10): 174-176, 2007. doi:10.1071/NB07076
Harris P, Harris-Roxas B, Harris E. An Overview of the Regulatory Planning System in New South Wales: Identifying points of intervention for health impact assessment and consideration of health impacts, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18(9-10): 188-191. doi:10.1071/NB07073A
Harris P, Harris-Roxas B, Harris E, Kemp L. Health Impact Assessment and Urbanisation: Lessons from the NSW HIA Project, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18(9-10): 198-201, 2007. doi:10.1071/NB07073B
Harris-Roxas B, Harris P. Learning by Doing: The value of case studies of health impact assessment, NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18(9-10):161-163, 2007. doi:10.1071/NB07110
Harris P, Harris-Roxas B, Kemp L. Health Impact Assessment in Urban Settings (Editorial), NSW Public Health Bulletin, 18(9-10):149-150, 2007. doi:10.1071/NB07104
Harris P, Harris-Roxas B, Harris E, Kemp L. Health Impact Assessment: A practical guide, Sydney: Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) and NSW Health, 2007.
Harris P , Harris E , Harris-Roxas B , Kemp L . Healthy Urban Planning: Recommendations from the NSW HIA project. Sydney: UNSW Research Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, 2006.
