The first report was published Tuesday morning on the front page of the Wichita Eagle describing how KHI’s health impact assessment (HIA) results were used by local decision-makers to improve the Wichita transit system. KHI’s vice president for Fiscal and Health Policy, Duane Goossen, and senior analyst Tatiana Lin were featured in the article.
Tuesday evening, the Kansas Health Institute was cited in a broadcast news story on KWCH TV Wichita (Eyewitness News) about Wichita Transit Center’s decision to ban smoking.
The last report Tuesday night was broadcast on Univision Kansas news featuring an interview with Lin as an expert source for a special report on how the health impact assessment is helping Wichita leaders make decisions about smoking near transit outlets.
The HIA explores transit-related factors which influence health to include air quality, traffic-related injuries and secondhand smoke exposure, as well as access to employment, health care, food sources, educational and recreational resources.
Health Impact Assessments
HIA is a part of a fast-growing field in the United States and is used as a tool to bring health considerations into policy discussions where health is not always considered.
The overall goal of the HIA is to inform policymakers of these impacts and to provide recommendations that could optimize potential health benefits while minimizing potential health risks.
The Kansas Health Institute completed its first HIA in Kansas in 2012 which examined the potential health effects associated with casino development in Southeast Kansas. This spring, KHI will release a report of HIA results regarding potential changes to the Kansas Liquor Control Act, followed by an HIA in the fall which looks at changes to the corporate gaming laws.
The Kansas Health Institute has been recognized by the National Network of Public Health Institutes as an emerging leader in this field and continues in the development of a training center for HIA work in Kansas.