PHM-Exch> certificate course in community driven health impact assessment

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: Colleen Cameron <accamero at stfx.ca>



Certificate in Community-Driven Health Impact Assessment.

May 30-June 17, 2011

Coady International Institute, St. Francis Xavier University



The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as a state of complete
physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of
disease and infirmity. They see health as a resource for everyday life, not
the object of living. Promoting community health and well-being requires an
understanding of the interaction of the social determinants of health, the
inequities in health status and the ability to take action. Structural
determinants and conditions of daily life

are the major factors in health inequities between and within countries. To
achieve health equity, actions must be taken to improve the conditions of
daily living, tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money and
resources, measure and assess the impact of policies and programs, and raise
awareness of the social determinants of health among practitioners and the
public (WHO 2008).



Community health impact assessment is a way to bring the health concerns of
the community forward in discussions of public policy. Since our health and
well-being are influenced by a wide range of factors both within and outside
the health sector, community health impact assessment is useful in examining
any activity (policy, program, project, or service) that will affect the
population as a whole, as well as specific groups within the community.
Community health impact assessment is based on the idea that the development
of *healthy public policy *(public policy that is characterized by an
explicit concern for health and equity, and which aims to create a
supportive environment to enable people to lead healthy lives) requires
broad citizen involvement.



Community health impact assessment allows communities to:

• Estimate the effect that a particular activity will have on the health and
well-being of the community.

• Identify things to do that will maximize the benefits and minimize the
harm of that activity.



This course will introduce participants to a holistic understanding of
health within the context of development. It will examine the relationship
between health and development and the impact of development programs and
policies on health. Participants will develop skills in facilitating
community groups to go through the People Assessing Their Health (PATH)
process and develop a Community Health Impact Assessment Tool (CHIAT).



Scholarships

Applicants from developing countries are eligible for Coady Institute
scholarships and bursaries that cover most of the cost of tuition, room and
board. This support is the result of generous funding from the Canadian
International Development Agency and a number of individual and
institutional donors. Special efforts are made to enable women and
aboriginal peoples attend. The Coady Institute is not able to support the
cost of travel.

How to Apply

To find out more about the Coady Institute’s educational programs, research,
publications, web-based initiatives and global learning partners, please
visit our website at www.coady.stfx.ca. Applicants should apply at least two
months before the start of the program. Applications are assessed as soon as
they are received so apply early to ensure time for making travel and visa
arrangements.



 Colleen Cameron

Senior Program Officer

Coady International Institute

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, Nova Scotia

Canada

(902) 867-3895

accamero at stfx.ca
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20101229/ab82310a/attachment.html>