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Oregon State-Led HIAs

Metro's Climate Smart Strategy HIA (2014)

In August 2014, Oregon Health Authority conducted a health impact assessment (HIA) on Phase 3 of Metro's Climate Smart Communities Scenarios Planning effort. 

In January 2013, OHA invited forty regional experts in land use planning, transportation planning, local governments, and public health to support the first of three related HIAs on Metro's planning work. These advisors provided feedback on the areas and methodologies of the most recent assessment, as well as initial findings and draft recommendations.


Health Impacts of Metro's Climate Smart Communities (2012-2013)

Oregon's Health Impact Assessment program teamed up with Metro and Oregon Department of Transportation to assess the potential health impacts of Metro's Climate Smart Communities greenhouse gas reduction scenario planning. The Climate Smart Communities HIA (pdf) describes the health impacts of proposed carbon-reduction strategies to decision-makers, and ensures that the best health-promoting elements are included in the preferred scenario.

Geographic area/location: Portland metropolitan area
Current Stage of Development: Reporting Completed April 2013
Sponsor: Oregon Health Authority, Office of Environmental Public Health

Wind Energy Siting (2010-2013)

The Oregon Public Health Division responded to questions from the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE), local health departments, and community members in Eastern Oregon about the potential health impacts of wind energy facilities on Oregon communities. The Wind Energy Health Impact Assessment (pdf) is a tool to help community members, elected officials and ODOE understand and respond to health-related questions about wind energy developments in Oregon. This initial HIA on wind energy is not focused on a specific facility or community. Rather, it focuses more broadly on what is currently known about the health impacts from wind farms, and the policies and standards used to site wind facilities in Oregon.

Geographic area/location: Oregon
Current Stage of Development: Reporting Completed March 2013
Sponsor: Oregon Health Authority, Office of Environmental Public Health

School Biomass Boilers (2010)

School districts around Oregon have were given the opportunity to convert their current heating system to biomass boilers that burn wood chips or pellets. There is some concern about the health effects of this new type of fuel, as the air emissions have not been studied. This HIA examined the health impacts of converting to biomass boilers on students, teachers and neighbors around Oregon schools. DEQ amended their program according to the HIA's recommendation.

Geographic area/location: Statewide
Current Stage of Development: Reporting completed through community meeting
Sponsor: Oregon Health Authority, Office of Environmental Public Health

HIAs led by other organizations in Oregon

Upstream Public Health and the Oregon Public Health Institute are independent non-profit organizations that have led ans supported multiple HIA project in Oregon and across the country. More about their HIA work and resources can be found on their webpages.

Data Resources

Oregon Environmental Public Health Tracking (Oregon EPHT): Oregon EPHT collects data and information about environmental hazards, exposures, and health outcomes. Currently, the website has a searchable database with data on air and water quality, childhood blood lead, asthma and heart attack hospitalizations, and birth outcomes.

Oregon Rural Communities Explorer: An excellent “one-stop shop” for finding data on local communities in Oregon. The Oregon Explorer allows you to choose a geographic area (down to census tract level), and provides recent data on demographic, social, economic, health and environment indicators. 

University of Oregon GIS Resources: A repository of GIS Resources in Oregon, including maps and shape files. Also links to county, city, and regional governments, many of which provide interactive maps and shape files related to land use and zoning.

Directory of Local Health Departments: This directory provides links to contact information and websites for county health departments in Oregon.

Oregon Center for Health Statistics: A repository for data reports on Oregon vital statistics, as well as publications on health in special populations and topics.

Portland State University Population Research Center: The Population Research Center produces an annual report on population statistics and projections for Oregon, enrollment projections for school districts, and other demographic information for Oregon.

Data for Local Communities project: This project aims to gather in one place the highest quality web-based information about cities, counties, natural areas, and other regions in Washington and Oregon. This resource is intended to support the work and interests of local governments, educators, students, business people, researchers, libraries, and citizens of the Pacific Northwest.

University of Oregon Oregon Data Bank This page provides access to selected statistical data and other information sources about the state and its communities.