Stages Of A Health Impact Assessment Writing Assignment

Health Impact Assessment
Name
Institutional affiliation
Health Impact Assessment
It can be described as a tool that helps communities, practitioners and decision makers reach decisions that will play a role in the improvement of public health throughout the community. Different countries use different institutions to fund this tool, but in America, the center for disease and control is the only institution with federal expertise that helps communities exert this tool effectively. Health impact assessment is a tool that can be used to predict potential health impacts of policy, project or plan before it is even implemented or built. It is essential because it helps portray the potential health effects both positive and negative in the decision-making process for projects, plans and policies that have been categorized outside the general health arenas, for instance, the use of land and transportation. It additionally provides recommendations that are significant in minimizing negative impacts and increasing the positive effects (Eckermann, 2013).
Stages of a health impact assessment
Screening- this is the identification of policy, plan or project where the tool would be effective and significant.
Scoping- this involves the planning of the HIA and the identification of the risks and benefits that should be considered.
Assessment- this is the identification of the population that will be affected while paying attention to the impacts that the decision will have on the health of the community.
Recommendations- this stage involves the suggestion of practical plans that will be effective in the minimization of the negative health impacts of the decision/policy while at the same time increase the positive health effects.
Reporting- this is the presentation of the findings to the stakeholders, communities and all the involved parties.
Evaluation and monitoring- it involves constantly examining the impact that the HIA tool had on the decision-making process and the health status.
It is different from all other forms of health assessment because it is mainly concerned with sectors that are not general health arenas classification, for instance, the use of land and transportation (Scott-Samuel, 2008).
Information needed for the proposed project
When using an HIA tool to look at the potential health impacts of a waste management facility, it is crucial to gather some information and data that would be helpful in the drafting of recommendations. For example, the amount of waste that will be deposited there in a day and the methods of disposing of the waste that is exerted. While looking at the amount of waste that will be deposited in a single day, it is important to also look at the size of the facility. Looking at the size of the facility proves to be crucial in measuring if it can handle the amount of waste deposited there. Cases have been reported whereby waste management facilities have been overwhelmed by the amount of garbage dumped there and as a result become an environmental hazard. It is also important to look at the methods of waste management that will be used. Some methods have proven to be hazardous and negatively affected the environment. It is also important to look at the amount of waste tha...