Decisions made outside the health care system can impact health outcomes down the line, even when health isn’t a central concern. For example, how cities are designed can impact how much residents walk or bike and the motor-vehicle related injuries they may suffer. Professor Max Gakh is currently collaborating on a project based on this premise. He is part of a team of colleagues at the UNLV School of Public Health, the Southern Nevada Health District, and other community organizations to complete a series of health impact assessments – known as HIAs – to inform “built environment” decisions in the Las Vegas Region. HIAs rely heavily on data, best practices, systematic analysis, and cross-sector partnerships to generate health-promoting recommendations. One of their central aims is to address unintended consequences of decisions on health, particularly for some of the most vulnerable groups of residents. This project is funded by a Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Southern Nevada Health District.
