Health in All Policies
Using a Health Lens Checklist
In order to promote health equity, it is vital to ask questions that consider the impacts a policy, proposal or project may have on members of a community. These questions serve as a launching point to guide questions and further conversation. The Health Lens Checklist does not replace a complete Health Impact Assessment or another form of equity impact review, such as racial equity. If you are interested in equity impact assessments the Resources and Acknowledgements tab contains community examples and toolkits used to develop the Health Lens Checklist under the Equity Promotion heading.
Health Lens Checklist
- What is the intended outcome of the proposed policy, practice, project, program or grant?
- Have possible unintended consequences or outcomes been recognized and solutions proposed?
- Were the intended and unintended effects on social determinants of health assessed and were the root causes on health inequities taken into consideration?
- Employment opportunities
- Livable wages
- Access to quality education
- Community connectedness
- Crime and incarceration
- Violence and safety
- Access to healthy, affordable food
- Access to quality healthcare
- Access to transportation
- Pedestrian friendly streets
- Safe, affordable and healthy housing
- Residential displacement
- Racism, discrimination and other forms of oppression
- Will the proposed policy, practice, project, etc. improve health disparities and increase equitable outcomes for individuals, the community or jurisdictions as a whole?
- Have the community perceptions of the proposal been assessed?
- Have affected communities been authentically engaged?
- Have the possible burdens and benefits of communities been weighed? Do the benefits outweigh the burdens?
- Have the anticipated burdens been resolved to the affected communities’ satisfaction?
- Is there a system of accountability and review to address any unintentional outcomes from the decision?
- Examples include but are not limited to: