Continued HIA work in the natural resource sector:

• We are evaluating funding to facilitate our continued health support to communities through HIAs. The planning and regulatory processes for major resource development projects continue in Alaska Native regions, and strong tribal participation and the inclusions of HIA offer the best options to protect and promote health and well-being. New energy technologies, building techniques and a changing climate will present future challenges and opportunities for health. This Program is well positioned to ensure that future development projects around and in Alaska Native communities appropriately consider potential health effects.

Supporting the consideration of health in other decisions:

• Outside of the EIS process, there are often no formal regulations that require HIAs, but HIAs in both scoping and applied forms can be used as a voluntary decision-making tool. Internationally, HIAs are already used as flexible tools to support health-oriented decisions in many settings, such as housing, education, urban design and social programs, In the future, the ANTHC HIA Program aims to help communities use different forms of HIAs during important policy or project decision-making.

For more information please contact us by phone at (907) 729-4493 or by e-mail at akahiap@anthc.org