The Public Health of the Community - Essay Example

Review of Completed HIA Student’s Name: Institutional Affiliation: Course: Date: Review of Completed HIA Stakeholder Collaboration The proposed “Red Line Regional Rail Project” demonstrated a high level of collaboration from different stakeholders which would contribute greatly to the successful implementation of the project. In the first place, the members of the community who played a crucial role in providing the needed information on the necessary data from this community. At the same time, the proposed project by the Davidson: Design for Life also involved the Davidson: Design for Life Committee which was instrumental in ensuring that every aspect of the assessment process was well planned and executed according to plan (Pérez, K., Olabarria, M., Rojas-Rueda, D., Santamariña-Rubio, E., Borrell, C., & Nieuwenhuijsen, 2017). Further, the assessment involved the Davidson: Design for Life Regional Advisory commission, which was tasked with ensuring that its members were providing advice to the technical teams and all other relevant stakeholders on for instance issues to be prioritized as well as the areas to be covered and the best way to go about different matters of the assessment process. In the acknowledgment section, the Davidson: Design for Life has sought to recognize the contributions of Nadolny with the Charlotte Area Transit System, Mayor John Woods Red Line Task Force Chair, Katherine Henderson with KKH Consulting and Brian Paul Morris with North Carolina Department of Transportation. According to the Davidson: Design for Life, the stakeholders mentioned above helped a great deal in providing critical information that was Important about the Red Line Regional Project (Stahelin & Chandler, 2012).Also, I commend the Davidson: Design for Life for providing the way in which the funding of the assessment process was to be sourced. As noted in the proposal, the project was supported by a grant that was sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Community Design Initiative. According to the authors of this proposal, as part of the goals of the town in the promotion of the residents’ health, in 2011 Davidson had received the grant with the aim of developing a program for conducting health impact assessments (HIAs) as well as incorporating principles of innovative design into the proposed planning processes (Morris, P., Briggs, M., & Henderson, 2012). Purposely, the Davidson Design for Life (DD4L) would later be formed to implement this project with the main mission of helping Davidson community be a community that is not only healthy today but also into the future. At the same time, the funding of the project would assist in making the project the model for other small towns especially when the healthy design is implemented. Based on the above stakeholder preview, it is clear that the proposal and the subsequent implementation of the project would be successful all stakeholders have shown their commitment to the project. In fact, a closer look at the stakeholders involved shows that all areas and aspects of the project have been covered (Red Line Task Force, 2011). On this note, the public health status of members of Davidson community would consequently be improved. Screening Critically to note is that the process of screening seeks to establish the value as well as the need of carrying out an HIA. On this basis, the screening process in this proposed project would be to assess if it would have beneficial or adverse effects on the public health of the Davidson community Red Line Task Force. (2011), as noted Transportation can ked to positive impacts on public health. It is important to note is that one of the most significant contributors of transportation for populations is facilitation in accessing health services. For example, there is always the possibility of public transport systems being an effective way of helping patients especially those that may not be having vehicles arriving on time for their appointments (Peter, J., Kate, I., Jonathan, J. B., Jonathan, I. L., & Mariana, C. A. (2014). At the same time, another main impact of positive transportation system is that it helps in ensuring that individuals are not only encouraged in increasing movement but also getting exposure to different types of environment. For example, in one of the recent studies on public transportation system, in 2013, Pérez et al. (2017) conducted a study where he found that on the working days, close to twenty six percent of people were walking or cycling using public transport stations, with approximately forty-seven min as average time on daily basis in Spain. Apparently, the physical activity of this nature could be helpful in the prevention of diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Summarily, the transportation sector contains different positive features that are instrumental in influencing the health status of individuals in various societies. However, it is important to note that there are as well many negative impacts of transportation on public health as described in the first assignment (Brown, V., Moodie, M., Cobiac, L., Mantilla Herrera, A. M., & Carter, R. (2017). Although the proposed project may not have intended to meet all of the above positive impacts, the bottom-line is that the intention was to enhance the public health situation of the members of the Davidson community. Therefore, the project team needs to ensure that all requirements are in place to meet this goal as well as other objectives. In the proposed project, it is clear that the process of screening was followed. Notably, the HIA screening process took place from the place from October to November 2011. The committee met after reception of grant by the Town of Davidson with the aim of discussing the topics for the HIAs in year one where the Red Line Regional Rail topic was suggested as a regional transit project Brown, V., Moodie, M., Cobiac, L., Mantilla Herrera, A. M., & Carter, R. (2017)., The result of the screening process showed that an HIA on the Red Line Regional Rail project was warranted, and that committee members needed to further speak with members of the Red Line Task force in determining how the assessment would fit into the overall planning process for the project as well as knowing if panel members would be interested in the HIA findings (Bergstad, C., Gamble, A., Gärling, T., Hagman, O., Polk, M., Ettema, D., . . . Olsson, 2011). Scoping Apparently, the basic aim of scoping is not only to develop a plan for the carrying out an HIA but also to determine the extent of which the proposal or the project seeks to cover. For example, one of the issues that would be expected to be considered by the scoping process of the proposed project would be the determination of the potential health impacts to be analyzed in the HIA (Bergstad, C., Gamble, A., Gärling, T., Hagman, O., Polk, M., Ettema, D., . . . Olsson, 2011). Other issues to be considered include the population to be affected, sharing of information and the process of evaluating the HIA and so on. Critically to emphasize is that at the end of the scoping princess, the HIA team is expected to have a list of team members and their expected roles in the assessment. The literature, data, expert, as well as a diagram, are required to provide relevant information on the health impacts of the project. Further, a profile of the community and the geographic area that might be affected by the project is also expected. At the same time, the team doing scoping should provide key milestones and activities that need to be completed. Finally, the process is expected to provide a plan for how the community will be engaged, sharing of the findings and the evaluation process of the HIA. In reference to the above basic overview of scoping process, it is also well documented how the scoping was followed. After the decision was made in conducting an HIA on the Red Line Regional Rail project, the DD4L Coordinator Katherine Hebert filled the scoping worksheet which was later approved by the DD4L Committee but with additional edits. The supervisor went ahead in sharing the worksheet with the DD4L Regional Advisory Commission through email. Finally, the details in the scoping worksheet were discussed at the next meeting together with a progress report on the HIA efforts concerning the transit project. At the same time, the details of scoping process also included the potential health impacts including mental social and physical effects of the project. Profiling The profiling process is the process of determining and describing the geographical location of those to be affected by the project and the characteristics of the populations in the same area including the economic and social activities or general perspective of their lifestyle. The objective of profiling is to ensure that the need assessment of the population and the community as a whole has well been captured in the project (Morris et al., 2012). Consequently, under the “regional overview” section, the report contains the characteristics of the populations and community that was targeted by the project. According to the authors, there was a study sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and carried out by a team of consultants and professors to examine the potential to increase economic growth by making infrastructure improvements Tomer, A., Kneebone, E., Puentes, R., & Berube, A. (2011).On this basis, the report has included valuable background information on economic, population, transportation and employment statewide as well as the general profile of greater Charlotte area (Morris et al., 2012). . According to the report, the region contained more than 2.6 million people and is strategically located in the center of the East Coast which makes it accessible to over sixty percent of the country’s population as well as industrial base by or day’s worth of motor freight or a two hour flight Tomer, A., Kneebone, E., Puentes, R., & Berube, A. (2011). Based on the population growth rate and its projection in the next thirteen years, the profiling has also included the major problems associated with that growth such as overcrowding in the seaports and airports and increased highway congestion among others. At the same time, the profiling has as well as included the affected localities and representative from the Charlotte Area. Assessment The process of assessing the proposed project was extensively conducted based on the “Assessment” section in the report. Unlike the previous section, the assessment process seeks to conduct the actual analysis of potential impacts of health on the selected population. Critically to note is that besides literature review, the assessment needs to consider data available in suggesting the likelihood of positive and negative health impact occurring from the proposed project. Further, this section should consider the expert opinions based on those with adequate knowledge on the subject being addressed (Morris et al., 2012). At the same time, the team involved in assessing process should be able to provide stakeholders concerns and local knowledge on the issue at hand (Morris, P., Briggs, M., & Henderson,2012). Also, the multiples impacts of the proposed project should be included. At the end of the assessment, the team needs to have basic health status of the population and the community concerned. The assessment report also should include the description of the data and the analytical methods used as well as quantitative modeling, literature review, interviews or focus groups findings, assumptions and limitations made and summary of the findings (Morris, P., Briggs, M., & Henderson,2012). Under this section and based on the above overview, the authors have included the literature review in relation to different matters such as the accessibility and equity, which are pivotal when referring to the health determinants (Brown, V., Moodie, M., Cobiac, L., Mantilla Herrera, A. M., & Carter, 2017).At the same time, there is review of “census data/ regional commuting patterns, analysis of expected ridership and air pollution reduction, consideration of cost benefit and economic impact analysis, review of the Davidson Station Area Plan, Neighborhood survey, HIA training activity and summary of findings”. In this way, the assessment section has met the necessary requirements of an evaluation process. Recommendations Apparently, the authors of the report have compiled detailed proposals in a tabulated format on every issue of concern. Additionally, there is a provision on the summary of recommendations at the end of the “recommendations” section. Importantly, is worth noting that different issues of health have been covered under the recommendations section (Bergstad, C., Gamble, A., Gärling, T., Hagman, O., Polk, M., Ettema, D., Olsson, 2011).For example, upon noting that exposure to loud noises could lead to hearing loss, sleep disturbance, cause stress, among other health related problems, the report recommends residents be provided with information on the time when the construction will be taking place and measures they can take to reduce the noise disruptions as well as use of equipment that produce fewer noise. Therefore, it is clear that by including recommendations on health issues in the proposed project, the report has taken into account the public health of the community. Evaluation and Monitoring Evaluation and monitoring process includes ensuring that the progress of the proposed project is not only assessed but also tracking is done to determine the level of compliance with the plan. In this section, the report has included three types of evaluation: the process, impact, and outcome evaluation (Archer, 2009).Critically to note is that since this is a project proposal, all of the above types of evaluation will be conducted after there is the decision on the Red Line Regional Rail project. References Archer, D. (2009). Atmospheric Lifetime of Fossil Fuel Carbon Dioxide. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 37, 117-134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.031208.100206 Bergstad, C., Gamble, A., Gärling, T., Hagman, O., Polk, M., Ettema, D., . . . Olsson, L. (2011). Subjective well-being related to satisfaction with daily travel. Planning - Policy - Research - Practice, 38(1), 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11116-010-9283-z Brown, V., Moodie, M., Cobiac, L., Mantilla Herrera, A. M., & Carter, R. (2017). Obesity-related health impacts of fuel excise taxation- an evidence review and cost-effectiveness study. BMC Public Health, 17http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4271-2 Morris, P., Briggs, M., & Henderson, K. (2012). Freight Oriented Development Technical Memorandum. Greenleaf Strategies, LLC. Red Line Task Force. (2011). Red Line Regional Rail, North Corridor: Mooresville to Charlotte Project Overview. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_ZTvtGqBUGecmEzMTlHRS1RbldCV0xHYmotc1lhZw/edit Pérez, K., Olabarria, M., Rojas-Rueda, D., Santamariña-Rubio, E., Borrell, C., & Nieuwenhuijsen, M. (2017). The health and economic benefits of active transport policies in Barcelona. Journal of Transport & Health, 4, 316-324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2017.01.001 Peter, J., Kate, I., Jonathan, J. B., Jonathan, I. L., & Mariana, C. A. (2014). A Health Impact Assessment of Proposed Public Transportation Service Cuts and Fare Increases inBoston, Massachusetts (U.S.A.). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(8), 8010-8024. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110808010http://www.mass.gov/envir/smar_growth_toolkit/pages/mod-tod.html Stahelin, A. & Chandler, D. (2012). Cargo-Oriented Development Gives TOD New Meaning in Older Communities. Smart Growth Network. Retrieved from http://www.cnt.org/repository/TOD-COD.GettingSmart.110107.pdf Tomer, A., Kneebone, E., Puentes, R., & Berube, A. (2011). Missed opportunity: transit and jobs in metropolitan America. Metropolitan Policy Program. Washington, DC: Brookings. Read More