HIA in the News: “Group to Study Health Effects of Development Around Light Rail”
June 16, 2010
Danielle Nordine, The Minnesota Daily
"A group of local community organizations will spend the next year and a half examining the health effects of future developments stemming from the Central Corridor light-rail line after receiving a $150,000 grant for their work.
ISAIAH, a Minneapolis faith-based organization, is heading the project by conducting research and collecting data to determine the health effects of the line and future housing and retail developments near it.
The impacts of the light rail on locals' health aren't necessarily obvious, ISAIAH Executive Director Doran Schrantz said. Issues like access to transit, jobs and the economic effects of the line influence one's health.
...Additionally, the group will work with two other organizations and will use a method called a health impact assessment, a process that uses empirical data to make decisions on projects that, on their surface, don't seem related to health...
ISAIAH will work with TakeAction Minnesota, a community group focused on promoting social, racial and economic justice, Schrantz said. It will work especially closely with TakeAction's Hmong program, addressing a community that is particularly impacted by the light rail construction in St. Paul.
Much of the data will consist of community surveys, including demographic information such as income and education, transportation habits, employment and health, Hmong program organizer Amee Xiong said.
PolicyLink, a national research group specializing in economic and social equity issues, will work on the technical aspects of the project, including analyzing survey results..."
