Healthy Cities: Assessing Health Impacts of Policies and Plans

Calendar

CLASS #	TOPICS
1	Class Introduction Course description, social determinants of health, rapid HIA client introduction.
2	Major Health Challenges from a Public Health Perspective Synopsis of mortality and morbidity domestically and abroad; contrasting perspectives on health and disease.
3	Rapid HIA, Training Guest lecturer: Barry Keppard, MAPC
4	Health Disparities Measurement, definition, monitoring and tracking; inequity versus inequality; arguments for and against a focus on narrowing gaps in health status.
5	Socioeconomic Status Income: What aspects of health can buy money? Material factors, relative position, psychosocial factors, stress, bandwidth, risk aversion. Employment: Job demand and control, job insecurity, occupational health and safety, prestige. Education: Contemporaneous and life course effects, links to other social factors.
6	HIA: Assessment Introduction
7	Discrimination, Race / Ethnicity Scientific and social views on race, Latino health paradox, immigration and assimilation, discrimination, unequal returns on investment.
8	Criminal Justice System
9	Neighborhoods: Built and Natural Environment Guest lecturer: Peter James, Harvard School of Public Health Air quality, water, green space, home-based hazards, heat, extreme weather/storms, climate change. Sprawl, food environment, neighborhood amenities, safety, identity and attachment.
10	Neighborhoods: Social Environment What is a “neighborhood effect?” Community change, displacement, social capital.
11	Embodiment Physiological effects of stress, immune function, life course perspective, intergenerational transmission.
12	Policy and Policymaking Guest lecturer: Lauren Smith, FSG (former Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Public Health) Costs and benefits of bringing a health lens to non-health policies; planning and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
13	Pathway presentations
14	HIA: Applications Reviewing examples of HIAs, HIA process, scoping working session.
15	HIA: Screening and Scoping Guest lecturer: Barry Keppard, MAPC Picking a policy, program, budget, plan for assessment; prioritizing health risks and health outcomes to examine.
16	HIA Assessment Workshop: Record Expungement
17	HIA Assessment Workshop: Just Cause for Eviction
18	HIA: Designing Recommendations Using evidence effectively. HIA Critique Due
19	Working Session Informal class presentations, time to workshop in teams.
20	HIA: Successes and Failures HIA pitfalls and triumphs, with examples.
21	State of the Practice Guest lecturer: Bethany Rogerson, Health Impact Project The breadth, scope, and growth of HIA practice. Comparison to other impact assessment.
22	Alternatives to HIA Guest lecturer: Barry Keppard, MAPC Health in all policies, health lens analysis, other tools.
23	HIA: Communications Framing, organizing, advocacy.
24	Final HIA presentations with clients
25	Final HIA presentations with clients (Cont.)
26	Future of HIA Where do we go from here? Will HIA continue to spread? Should it?