Section 8: Health Action Plan
The project can use the outcomes of the risk assessment step to establish actions that will potentially mitigate the identified impacts. These mitigation actions should be written into the health action plan. (See Box 1.)
The HAP may be issued as a separate document or incorporated within the HIA. Often the health mitigation actions are rolled into the social development plan; however, if the project is large or complex, consider producing a separate chapter (or report) on how to mitigate health impacts.
Fundamental Concepts
HAPs are generally organized around two fundamental public health concepts:
- Disease prevention
- Health promotion and education
Disease Prevention
Disease prevention includes any intervention that seeks to reduce or eliminate diagnosable conditions. It may be applied at the individual level (as in immunization) or at the community level (as in chlorination of the water supply).