Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment of Refugee Transitional Housing Support Program
The situation of humanitarian entrants on arrival in Fairfield City suggests that a
rent subsidy scheme tailored specifically to meet their needs can help ease housing
stress and improve the critical early settlement experience. This report proposes
aren’t subsidy scheme for 50 humanitarian entrant households in Fairfield as a pilot
modelled on existing schemes in NSW. Interviews with local service providers and
the Mental Wellbeing Impact Assessment (MWIA) were used to assess the
potential impact of the proposed pilot on the mental wellbeing of humanitarian
entrants in Fairfield. The results show that the proposed subsidy and support would
improve their mental wellbeing.
Equity focused health impact assessment of Communities at the Centre (ComaC) – A place-based equity and wellbeing initiative in Maroubra
This equity focused health impact assessment (EFHIA) of the “Communities at the Centre: A place-based equity and wellbeing initiative in Maroubra (ComaC)” assesses the potential positive and negative impacts of the proposed initiative and offers recommendations that maximizes the positive impacts and minimises any potential negative impacts.
EFHIAs are recommended in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District’s Equity Strategy as a means to improve health equity. An EFHIA working group was formed with representation from the key partner agencies. The determinants social inclusion and access to services were scoped. Potential impacts were appraised using evidence from the community profile, literature review and public knowledge collected through community engagement.
Health Impact Assessment of the Green Square Draft Infrastructure Strategy and Plan
Creating liveable and healthy communities within former industrial sites involves unique opportunities for developers and councils to imagine and create new communities through the provision of a high level of amenity and facilities, and connected active and public transport. However, delivering diversity, a sense of community and healthy environments for people across the life course in higher density environments is an emerging challenge. Therefore, a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was conducted to identify the potential health impacts of the Green Square development. This report describes the HIA findings and its recommendations.
Wilton Junction HIA
The Wilton Junction Master Plan HIA was undertaken by the Wilton Junction Working Group, facilitated by SWSLHD Population Health in conjunction with the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) and Wollondilly Shire Council (WSC) which assessed aspects of the Wilton Junction Master Plan.
Health Impact Assessment of Stage 3 of the Airds Bradbury Renewal Project
Integrating Health Considerations into Wollondilly Shire Council Planning Processes
CHETRE has been working with Population Health Unit South Western Sydney Local Health District and Wollondilly Shire Council (WSC) to identify ways of integrating health considerations into Council policy and planning processes. This work began with WSC’s involvement in the 2013/14 Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Learning by Doing Training in which they completed an HIA on a large new housing development. In November 2015, a joint Planning and Health Forum was held to discuss potential ways of progressing this work. As an outcome of the forum it was decided that CHETRE, in partnership with SWSLHD Population Health and WSC, would conduct a research study to identify strategies to integrate health into planning processes within Council.
In May 2016, WSC and SWSLHD formed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). As part of this, CHETRE was funded by SWSLHD to lead a research project to identify strategies to integrate health into planning processes within Council. Additionally, the MOU established a reference group, comprised of one key staff from each organisation, and a steering committee comprised of additional relevant staff from across the three participating organisations.
The aims of this research were:
- To develop a shared understanding of Wollondilly Shire Council planning processes and opportunities for the consideration of health within those processes;
- To identify and appraise various tools, processes, and assessment strategies that may be used to integrate health considerations into the planning process; and
- To appraise the applicability and appropriateness of various tools, approaches, or assessment strategies to both the Wollondilly Shire context and other planning contexts.
The project identified a need to implement actions or approaches that can develop buy-in from staff, Council, community, and developers; increase capacity through improving understanding and skill building to assess health impacts; and to develop a high-level health policy that can influence all other levels of planning.
Key actions were recommended in order to achieve these goals:
- Create a high-level health policy
- Create a health assessment policy
- Establish a joint staff position with SWSLHD, and
- Develop an overarching strategy that will guide this work moving into the future.
Is anyone listening? A Health Impact Assessment of the Western Sydney Airport Community Engagement Process
The Western Sydney Airport (WSA) is a proposed second airport to be located about 50km west of the Sydney central business district. In addition to relieving congestion for the Kingsford Smith Airport, it will serve as a focal point of urban growth for south western metropolitan Sydney.
Community engagement is an important process for providing and responding to community input into large-scale developments such as the WSA. To date there has been limited engagement with various communities and relevant stakeholders, such as affected local governments. Bringing a health lens to any community engagement strategies may help to improve health and wellbeing of communities. For this reason, it was decided to undertake a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of community engagement for the WSA.
The HIA began in June, 2015 and was completed in February, 2017. It was conducted through a partnership between CHETRE and Western Sydney Community Forum. It was supported by South Western Sydney Local Health District. Evidence was collected through literature reviews, community profiling and community workshops that provided qualitative evidence on the impacts of existing engagement strategies, and recommendations to improve engagement processes in the future.
The HIA found that community engagement practices have been very limited and considered insufficient by most affected community members. Current engagement practices are impacting on important determinants of wellbeing, such as: access to information, feeling of control, participation, and risk perception.
It will be important for developers to consider their approach to community engagement as development of the airport and surrounding urban growth area will continue over the next 50 years. The HIA provides recommendations to improve community engagement practices that may be relevant to other airport and large urban development projects.
Health impact assessment of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement
Hirono K, Haigh F, Gleeson D, Harris P and Thow, A M. Negotiating healthy trade in Australia: Health impact assessment of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. Liverpool, NSW: Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation, part of the Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW Australia, 2015.
Villawood East Master Plan HIA
Villawood East is a public housing estate in Western Sydney, established during the early 1950s and in need of improvement. NSW Finance and Services and NSW Family & Community Services are developing a Master Plan for the Villawood East area. The key objectives of the Master Plan are to:
- Reduce the concentration of public housing and increase the availability of affordable housing.
- Enhance the urban structure.
- Enable the formulation of detailed planning controls to achieve high quality urban design outcomes.
In 2008 Housing NSW , Sydney and Sydney South West Local Health Districts and the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation formed the Health and Housing Partnership. The vision of the housing and health partnership is working together to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities of South West Sydney. As part of the partnership’s strategic development, in late 2010 it was decided to follow the planning process for the Master Plan being developed for Villawood East. Health would collaborate with housing NSW across the process to understand the points where health could usefully add value to that process. This health impact assessment (HIA) forms part of this
activity.
- Villawood East Master Plan HIA (print version)
- Villawood East Master Plan HIA (screen version)
- Villawood East Master Plan Literature Review (print version)
- Villawood East Master Plan Literature Review (screen version)
Draft Residential Densities Strategy Mackay: Health Impact Assessment
Carless, F. & Gunning, C. (2011). Draft Residential Densities Strategy Mackay: Health Impact Assessment. Mackay Public Health Unit, Queensland Health: Mackay.
The Mackay Regional Council area is one of the fastest growing in Queensland, with strong growth forecast over the coming decades. Managing the challenges associated with high population growth is one of the drivers of Council’s Draft Residential Densities Strategy which outlines its vision for more compact urban areas within the region.
Recognition of the relationship between land use planning and health is not new and nationally there is much interest in translating this knowledge into practice. A tool which has emerged to contribute to this practice is Health Impact Assessment (HIA), a process which engages decision makers to consider health impacts in their planning, policy and program deliberations. To identify indirect health impacts that may be associated with the Draft Residential Densities Strategy, Queensland Health initiated a Health Impact Assessment with assistance from the Department of Communities, Mackay Regional Council and the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation. Using a rapid HIA process, including collection of data via literature review and stakeholder consultation, and development of a population profile, the HIA project team generated a set of recommendations.
Marang Dhali Eating Well EFHIA
David Meharg, Aboriginal Population Health Trainee
Western NSW Local Health District
November 2011
This prospective desk-based Equity Focused Health Impact Assessment (EFHIA) aims to examine the equity issues relating to Marang Dhali Eating Well (MDEW). MDEW is a locally designed Aboriginal food and cooking program to improve food security in four Aboriginal communities within the Western New South Wales Local Health District (Western NSW LHD). This EFHIA makes predictions about the potential health impacts of MDEW and recommendations to maximise health gains and minimise health risks.
EFHIA_Marang_Dhali_Eating_Well
Health Impact Assessment of the Northern Territory Emergency Response
Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association and Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, UNSW. Health Impact Assessment of the Northern Territory Emergency Response. Canberra: Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association, 2010.
The Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association (AIDA), in collaboration with the Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and with financial support from the Fred Hollows Foundation, undertook a health impact assessment (HIA) of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER).
The purpose of the HIA is to predict what are likely to be positive, negative and/or unintended health consequences of the NTER, using a combination of evidence from a variety of sources.
The measures of the NTER outlined in the legislation, in associate media releases, and the NTER: One Year On report (Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, 2008) were assessed for their predicted health impacts based on the findings of community meetings with more than 250 Aboriginal people living in the prescribed communities, interviews with 25 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders, and a series of commissioned expert reviews.
Equity Focused HIA of the Review of Goodooga Health Service
This report details the Goodooga community’s equity focussed health impact assessment of the Goodooga Health Service Review. The review was commissioned in late 2008 by GWAHS to inform proposed changes to the Goodooga Health Service (GHS).
Health Impact Assessment of the Redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital
Sydney South West Area Health Service
A Steering Committee was established in July 2006 to conduct a prospective HIA on the Redevelopment of Liverpool Hospital. The focus of this project was on the construction phase of the redevelopment and the scope covered four issues – reduced parking for staff, patients and visitors; health and wellbeing of staff and the community; community and patient safety (non-traffic related); and increased traffic in the area (general and construction traffic). Recommendations were developed for the Executive User Group (EUG) and these are currently being monitored by the EUG.
In August 2007, the Executive User Group (EUG) for the Liverpool Hospital Redevelopment endorsed the conduct of a second Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the redevelopment. The scope for the HIA was defined as being environmental effects; health promoting effects and effects on patient recovery and staff wellbeing. The current status of the redevelopment in August 2008 determined that we should focus on developing recommendations for the detailed design and commissioning phases of the project. An EFHIA was chosen for this project because it was thought that the most value that could be added at these stages of the design process would be to focus on a consideration of equity issues related to the redevelopment. This consideration is most relevant to the Liverpool Hospital Redevelopment
- Phase 1 HIA Report
- Phase 2 Equity Focussed HIA
- Journal Article: HIA in Urban Settings
- Journal Article: HIA of Construction Phase of Hospital Redevelopment
South East Queensland Regional Plan Health & Social Impact Assessment
Queensland Health, Queensland Department of Communities & Queensland Office of Urban Management
Abstract: A health and social impact assessment of the South East Queensland Regional Plan was undertaken in 2005 (Queensland Government, 2005). It is one of few attempts nationally and globally to apply health and social impact assessment to a regional planning process. The assessment methodology builds on existing evidence-based research, methodologies and the combined professional experience of both health and social impact assessment practices in Queensland. The approach adds further strength and rigour to planning strategies to enhance the health and well-being of communities. The way the South East Queensland Regional Plan is implemented, and how the plan influences access to jobs, education, affordable housing and social infrastructure, and the achievement of social inclusion and connectedness within communities, will be central to future health and well-being of people in South East Queensland.
Equity Focused HIA of the South Australian ABHI School and Community Initiatives
Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation (CHETRE)
(EFHIA) undertaken on the South Australian Program Reference Document of the School and Community Based Activities under the Australian Better Health Initiative 2006-2010. The EFHIA focussed on four components: Regional Healthy Weight Coordinators, the Healthy Ways project in Aboriginal communities, CYWHS parent focused project, and professional development to support these initiatives.
Flinders Street Redevelopment Project (Townsville) HIA
Queensland Health Tropical Population Health Services
In November 2008 a Rapid Desktop Health Impact Assessment was conducted on the Flinders Street Redevelopment project by the Health Promotion Service of the Tropical Population Health Services, Population Health Queensland. The identified health determinants were safety and security, access for all ages and abilities, social connectedness, participation and identity.
Good for Kids Good For Life Equity Focused Health Impact Assessment
Hunter New England Area Health Service
This report outlines the methods and findings from the Hunter New England Area Health Service’s (HNE AHS) ‘Good for Kids. Good for Life.’ program (Good for Kids) Health Impact Assessment (HIA). The HIA was completed in the period December 2006 – August 2007 and was implemented under the direction of a Good for Kids HIA working party and staff of the Good for Kids program. As an HIA development site, the working party and program staff received additional support from the University of NSW Research Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity (CHETRE).
The purpose of the Good for Kids equity-focused HIA was to improve the equity with which the program was delivered to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. The use of HIA’s in Aboriginal health contexts has been limited, so the HIA working party took the opportunity modify the HIA so that it better reflected the principles of Aboriginal Health. This involved drawing on equity-focussed HIA methodology, learning from HIA’s completed in indigenous communities overseas and adopting an Aboriginal model of health.
Health Impact Assessment of Lithgow City Council’s Strategic Plan
Sydney West Area Health Service and Lithgow City Council
This report explains the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) process and presents the findings of the HIA of the Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan, 2007. The primary output of the HIA is a set of evidencebased recommendations geared to informing the decision-making process. These recommendations aim to highlight practical ways to enhance the positive impacts or minimise any negative impacts on health, well being and health inequalities that might arise or exist in response to the Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan.
The Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan is the first long-term plan to be developed by Lithgow City Council in collaboration and consultation with the community and government. It introduces a new framework of strategic planning in the Lithgow local government area, which is driven by the community’s vision and issues. The Plan incorporates the visions and strategies and feeds these into Council’s management and operational plans to deliver actions that ultimately achieve the vision for the community. The objective of the Strategic Plan is to provide the strategic framework for the future development of the Lithgow Local Government Area and to encourage environmental, economic and social sustainability (Lithgow City Council Strategic Plan, 2007, Page 4).
Health Impact Assessment of the Wollongoing Foreshore Precinct Project
South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service & Wollongong City Council
The way we design our cities has been shown to have an impact on health. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides a systematic process for identifying the positive or negative impacts that could arise from proposed policies, programs or projects, such as local government planning proposals. A HIA was conducted by South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service, and Wollongong City Council on the Wollongong Foreshore Precinct (WFP) Project. The potential impact of the Project on physical activity, social cohesion and access to healthy food were assessed.
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