Feeling Fabulous Friday

Today feels like an especially fabulous Friday and I wanted to share that with you.  I have been so blessed with busyness that making videos has taken a backseat…but…drum roll…I finished work early today and busted my backside to put a workout and In Your Face MOTIVATION video together…with a little flub in the beginning…but oh well…let’s see if you catch it.  Today is all about feeling fabulous and really appreciating the life that I have.   Truly, it is all about being happy right where I am…not wanting for more or wishing I had this or that materially…because that is not the meaningful stuff in my journey called life. 

Think about feeling fabulous, feeling healthy, feeling happy….I strive for that every day, every moment.  Is it realistic that I will have this all the time…well of course not…but I choose to be positive, surround myself with people who grow me in positive ways, and lean on my faith in God.  Life is really too short not to strive for QUALITY in everything that I do, think and feel.  Quality workouts, food, relationships, time…and my list can go on and on…do you get my picture?  In fact, I believe in quality over quantity…am I going to pound out 20 biceps curls in poor form…well…NO…but slow, controlled QUALITY movement…now that is what I am talking about.  I often say that “Nothing Good Happens Fast” and it is so true for many things in life.  Successful weight loss, lean mass gain, healing through injury, recovery from childbirth are all examples of things that take time.  I will be writing more about that in another Blog post.

Getting back to this moment and feeling great on this Friday…I have been able to do so much that has made me feel accomplished… working with my fabulous clients, getting some domestic engineering done and making a video for you…Woo Hoo…I FEEL GOOD!  I am only one, but I WILL DO whatever I can to help as many as I can to adapt a healthy lifestyle, and I do have a plan for this Blog which I have explained on my DONATION page.  I am patient however, and when the time is right and ready, it will happen…that is called FAITH and believe me…I am full of that.  I wish YOU the best of health on this beautiful Friday, and thanks for all your support, feedback, and sharing of your success stories…YEAH!  

 

 

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS

 

For a Limited Time Only, enjoy my Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift to YOU with a $10 donation to support Stay Healthy Fitness, YOU, your health and happiness. Thank you all for the many MOTIVATIONAL comments, notes of appreciation, and emails sent to me through all my online mediums.  I read and respond to each and every one and hearing that I have helped YOU is YOUR gift to me.  Many Blessings to YOU and Stay Healthy! 

 

 

Historic Spot in Nevada with my Hubby

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Have a Fabulous Week!

Stay Healthy!

Darla;)

 

 

Funding announced for Denver metro region

The Health Impact Project, with support from Kaiser Permanente Colorado, will fund one health impact assessment (HIA) program grant, of up to $250,000, for applicants in the Denver metropolitan region. The award will support:

• At least two HIAs. Preference will be given to proposals that address transportation-related policies, projects, and plans. This includes land-use decisions related to transportation projects, such as transit oriented design. But, applicants are not limited to this sector.

• A tailored, two-day HIA training for the grantee and their stakeholders, as well as ongoing mentoring and technical assistance throughout the grant period.

• The development and implementation of a sustainability plan that establishes the relationships, systems, and funding mechanisms needed to maintain a stable HIA program that endures beyond the grant period.

• Participation in the Health Impact Project’s national HIA program grant learning community comprised of all HIA program grants funded under this round.

• Attendance at the September 2013 annual Grantee and National HIA Meetings in Washington, D.C., which will provide grantees an opportunity to meet, collaborate, and solve challenging questions that arise during their projects, as well as learn from leading HIA practitioners.

• No prior HIA experience is necessary to be eligible for this HIA Program grant. Training, technical assistance, and mentoring will be provided throughout the grant period.

• HIAs on transportation-related topics will be given preference. This includes land-use decisions related to transportation projects, such as transit oriented design. But, proposals are not limited to this policy area.

***NOTE: All eligible HIA program grant applicants from the Denver metro region that have already applied to the Health Impact Project’s national call for proposals (CFP) process will automatically be considered for the Kaiser Permanente Colorado grant opportunity.

Two differences of note between this funding opportunity and the Health Impact Project’s current national CFP include:

The Health Impact Project will host a conference call for potential applicants on October 18 at 2 p.m. MT. Registration is required.

Applications for the Kaiser Permanente Colorado Denver metropolitan HIA program grant opportunity are due Wednesday, October 31, 2012, at 5 p.m. MT.  

Visit the Health Impact Project Funding Opportunities page to learn more about the announcement and to begin the online application process.

Courtesy of Aaron Wernham, Health Impact Project

Health Impact Assessment: A triumph over common sense?

I'm giving a plenary talk at the 4th Asia Pacific Health Impact Assessment Conference in Seoul this week. I've attached the slides, a detailed paper and abstract below. It may be a little niche but hopefully some of you will be interested.

Health Impact Assessment: A triumph over common sense? from Ben Harris-Roxas

Download the detailed paper of the talk (21 pages PDF)

Abstract Evaluations of health impact assessments (HIAs) have highlighted its potential impacts on decision-making, implementation and broader factors such as intersectoral collaboration (Harris-Roxas et al. 2011, Harris-Roxas et al. 2012b, Wismar et al. 2007). Tensions often arise between stakeholders about the outcomes of HIAs however. Studies that have looked at this have found that there are:

• Often disagreements between stakeholders about the perceived purpose of the HIA and what form it should take (Harris-Roxas et al. 2012a, Harris-Roxas & Harris 2011); and
• The perception that an HIA’s recommendations could have been identified through normal planning and implementation processes and that the HIA didn’t necessarily have to be conducted (Harris-Roxas et al. 2011). In other words, that an HIA’s recommendations are “common sense”.

These two issues, about the perceived purpose of HIA and the “common sense” nature of HIAs’ recommendations, lie at the heart of any discussion of the HIA effectiveness. These issues have also been under-explored in the literature to date. This plenary will present initial findings from a study that looked at two decision-support equity-focused HIAs of similar health sector proposals (local health service obesity prevention and treatment service plans) longitudinally. This involved conducting 23 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders before, during and after the HIAs, and document reviews. One of the HIAs was completed while the other one was screened and determined to be unnecessary. This study is unique in relation to HIA to the authors’ knowledge, because it looks at expectations and perceptions of effectiveness before and after the HIAs were completed. It also compares two similar planning situations, one in which an HIA was conducted and one in which the HIA was screened out.

The study’s findings highlight that while many of the recommendations and distal impacts of an HIA (Harris-Roxas & Harris 2012) could notionally be anticipated through common sense analysis, in practice they are rarely foreseen. A similar phenomenon has been demonstrated in other fields such as organisational psychology and management (Orrell 2007, Watts 2011). This study also highlights the critical role that learning plays in impact assessment practice (Morgan 2012, Bond & Pope 2012). This learning takes three forms: technical, conceptual and participatory (Harris & Harris-Roxas 2010, Glasbergen 1999). Learning may also take place at individual, organisational and social levels. This suggests that “common sense” is anything but common in the real world of planning and decision-making, and for good reasons. What seems obvious in hindsight is rarely apparent in advance. HIA, as a structured process for looking at under-considered impacts, has an important role to play in moving beyond common sense towards broader learning and more nuanced analyses of alternatives.


References

Bond A, Pope J (2012) The State of the Art of Impact Assessment in 2012, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 30(1):1-4. doi:10.1080/14615517.2012.669140

Glasbergen P (1999) Learning to Manage the Environment in Democracy and the Environment: Problems and Prospects (Eds Lafferty W and Meadowcroft J), Edward Elgar: Cheltenham, p 175-193.

Harris-Roxas B, Harris E (2011) Differing Forms, Differing Purposes: A Typology of Health Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 31(4):396-403. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2010.03.003

Harris-Roxas B, Harris E (2012) The Impact and Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment: A conceptual framework, Environmental Impact Assessment Review: accepted, in press. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2012.09.003

Harris-Roxas B, Harris P, Harris E, Kemp L (2011) A Rapid Equity Focused Health Impact Assessment of a Policy Implementation Plan: An Australian case study and impact evaluation, International Journal for Equity in Health, 10(6), doi:10.1186/1475-9276-10-6. http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/10/1/6

Harris-Roxas B, Harris P, Wise M, Haigh F, Ng Chok H, Harris E (2012a) Health Impact Assessment in Australia: Where we’ve been and where we’re going in Past Achievement, Current Understanding and Future Progress in Health Impact Assessment (Ed Kemm J), Oxford University Press: Oxford, accepted - in press.

Harris-Roxas B, Viliani F, Bond A, Cave B, Divall M, Furu P, et al. (2012b) Health Impact Assessment: The state of the art, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 30(1):43-52. doi:10.1080/14615517.2012.666035

Harris E, Harris-Roxas B (2010) Health in All Policies: A pathway for thinking about our broader societal goals, Public Health Bulletin South Australia, 7(2):43-46. http://www.dh.sa.gov.au/pehs/publications/public-health-bulletin.htm

Morgan RK (2012) Environmental impact assessment: the state of the art, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 30(1):5-14. doi:10.1080/14615517.2012.661557

Orrell D (2007) The Future of Everything: The science of prediction. Basic Books: New York.

Watts D (2011) Everything Is Obvious (Once you know the answer). Crown Publishing: New York.

Wismar M, Blau J, Ernst K, Figueras J (Eds.) (2007) The Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment: Scope and limitations of supporting decision-making in Europe, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, World Health Organization: Copenhagen. International Standard Book Number 978 92 890 7295 3.

HAVING A MOM MOMENT

I LOVE BEING A MOM

I sit here as a mother who has  just watched her oldest son get married and I am in awe of where I am in life…not in an unhealthy way, but just in a WOW way.   I see the cycle of life being repeated in my children, every single one of them, and sometimes I am filled with disbelief of how fast the time has gone, the ages of my children, and the lives they now live, and finally… where I am…WOW!  I can still remember when my parents were my age and going through what I just experienced…can you relate? 

In a couple of years I will be 50 years young and wiser for the journey, but holy moly, I blinked my eyes and time traveled to “now” in an instant…so it seems.  I try to explain this phenomenon to my kids and they are not getting it just yet…but they soon will as their lives are becoming filled with the responsibility of adult life…marriage, work, college, financial obligations, etc.  This is a time of reflection for me as my very emotional “Mom Moment” took place watching my son get married…I hung on every word that was said, visually photographed their faces, every look, laugh, tear in that moment and sat there so full of being overwhelmed with gut wrenching feelings…happiness, sadness, joy, pride…everything all wrapped into one emotional package that required lots of tissue to the rescue. 

 

 

Each moment seems like it will last forever, but I am here to tell you…NOT…and I am sure many of you share in this feeling and knowledge.  I am now in a different stage of “Mom” and although I absolutely love where I am…it can feel weird.  I can still remember when my kids were small as if it were yesterday, and when they walk through the door now, I am looking at beautiful people capable of self sufficiency, intellectual conversation, and I am thankful that much of taking care of myself through fitness and nutrition  has rubbed off on them…and I think…WOW…that fabulous person came out of me…not to be gross or anything by saying that…but I am blown away by the adult who is also my child…I hope that makes sense.  The time I spend with them is much different, still full of love and hugs, but very much “adult” in our sharing.  

WOW... My Adult Kids

  

In my journey of Momhood I have transitioned through many phases, learned so much, loved so dearly, and pained through moments of difficult times.  I would have to say that being a mother has been one of the biggest successes of my life and probably one of the most important roles I have played and still play.  Marrying my best friend and husband, Don…I have gained 2 more adult children and with both our sons now married, I have 2 beautiful daughter-in-laws, in addition to our first grandchild last year.  Needless to say, I am one proud MAMA and Nana.

OUR FAMILY

 

What does my “Mom Moment” have to do with maintaining healthy ME…I say it speaks volumes of who I am as a healthy person, a woman who places value and priority where it should be, and always does her best to live as a healthy example to all of my children…even if I get called “Dr. Phil” or something funny like that when I put on the therapist hat.  Balance is important to living a healthy life, and taking care of myself through living a healthy life along my Mom journey has made a difference in the lives of my children who now implement healthy lifestyles for themselves.  It has been such an honor and privilege to watch my children grow into beautiful adults and my Momhood journey still continues as I now add the phase of grandmother…and you know…I feel pretty blessed to be able to feel like a kid, play like a kid, and enjoy every moment in this life looking forward to the next great event that will send me needing a box of tissue… I AM READY!

I dedicate this Blog to my Beautiful son, Eli and new bride Hayley.  I look forward to being a part of your lives as husband and wife, and continuing my journey as Mom to you both.  Here is to YOU, your marriage and may God bless you as you begin your journey together.  Love you~

 

Photo Credit : JenStewart Photography

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS

Don't Forget to Check Out the In My Kitchen Page for New Recipes

 Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

For a Limited Time Only, enjoy my Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift to YOU with a $10 donation to support Stay Healthy Fitness, YOU, your health and happiness. Thank you all for the many MOTIVATIONAL comments, notes of appreciation, and emails sent to me through all my online mediums.  I read and respond to each and every one and hearing that I have helped YOU is YOUR gift to me.  Many Blessings to YOU and Stay Healthy! 

 

Me and My Fabulous Mom

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Have a Fabulous Week!

Stay Healthy!

Darla;)

 

Why tackling inequality in the current financial situation remains important

Two different views and researches on the importance of cohesion and reducing inequalities. A study conducted by NCoC in partnership with other organisations, explores the relationship between civic engagement and economic resilience. It finds that the density and type of nonprofit organizations in a community, as well as its social cohesion, are important predictors of that community’s ability to withstand unemployment in a recession. The study identifies two main types of civic health that seem to matter most. One is the role of nonprofit organizations. The number of nonprofits per capita and the degree to which they directly engage local residents are both related to the unemployment rate. The other factor is social cohesion: interacting with friends and neighbors. Each type of civic engagement is separately valuable for preventing unemployment increases.

Nobel Prize winner and previous World Bank chief economist, Prof. Joseph Stiglitz was interviewed by the  German weekly The Spiegel on the raising inequality in the United States:  "the American dream has become a myth. The life chances of a young US citizen are more dependent on the income and education of his parents than in any other advanced industrial country for which there is data. The belief in the American dream is reinforced by anecdotes, by dramatic examples of individuals who have made it from the bottom to the top -- but what matters most are an individual's life chances. The belief in the American dream is not supported by the data." In June, Stilglitz published a book on the same topic "The price of inequality: how today's divided society endangers our future". Stiglitz focus on the financial and econonimical aspects leading to inequality, but he uses several health examples in his book. 

Towards noiseless turbines?

At the IAIA conference in Portugal we hosted a session on Community Responses to New Energy Sources. There were very interesting case studies of wind turbine projects in Australia and in the Netherlands (see the posts of May on this blog).

Wind energy is a constantly growing source of alternative energy worldwide and while it is accepted as green alternative to the usual coal and fossil fuels, local communities are not so supportive of wind parks in their backyard. Indeed deciding where to place wind turbines is a major challenge in the decision making process and one of the complaints often made by local inhabitants is noise.

A recent study reviews recent advances in the area of noise pollution from wind turbines. “To date, there have been many different noise control studies. While there are many different sources of noise, the main one is aerodynamic noise. The largest contributor to aerodynamic noise comes from the trailing edge of wind turbine blades. The aim of this paper is to critically analyse and compare the different methods currently being implemented and investigated to reduce noise production from wind turbines, with a focus on the noise generated from the trailing edge.”

The discussion is not over and community acceptance of new energy will remain a topic at the next conference in Calgary

Japanese Health Impact Assessment Practice

Guest post by Michiko Hoshiko

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is not yet a routine part of public decision-making in Japan, though there are an increasing number of examples of HIA’s use.

Before any regulatory assessment measure can be adopted in Japan it’s necessary to demonstrate its economy, efficiency and effectiveness, so this forms the focus of much current HIA activity. In 2011 the Japanese Public Health Association produced guidance on HIA ¹⁾, focusing on how to do it.

The Kurume University School of Medicine and the University of Occupational Environmental Health have been centres for the development of HIA in Japan to date. The case studies below describe some of the HIAs and research that has been conducted.

Kurume University School of Medicine

1) Health impact assessment of the transition to a core city in Japan²⁾

The city of Kurume became a core city in 2008, which is a more autonomous level of regional government that some cities in Japan are eligible for. A core city requires a population at least 300,000 people and allows the transfer of administrative authority from prefecture to more independent municipal government. A rapid HIA was conducted on the transition to a core city because potential health impacts were identified for public servants in Kurume as well as residents.

2) Assessing the validity of health impact assessment predictions regarding a Japanese city’s transition to core city status: A monitoring review³⁾

The validity of health impact assessment predictions has not been accurately assessed comparing predictions with subsequent data. An HIA into the transition of Kurume to a core city was conducted before the transition, but the recommendations were not accepted and adopted by city officials. A monitoring review was performed one year after the transition to guage the accuracy of the HIA predictions by evaluating the correlation between the predicted impacts and what ended up happening.

3) Prioritization of health impact assessment on the management transformation of a municipal hospital in Japan

Municipal hospitals in Japan are currently facing a serious eonomic management crisis because of operating deficits and doctor shortages. Unprofitable departments, including obstetrics and paediatrics, have been closed at some hospitals, which has caused controversy in a number of local communities. The aim of our study was to examine the health-related impacts of management and service changes at a municipal hospital close to the Kurume University School of Medicine on residents, patients, and hospital staff.

4) Development of a Health Impact Assessment Screening Tool for Use at the Municipal Level⁴⁾

The aim of this study was to make an HIA screening tool for use at the municipal level in Japan. The HIA screening checklist is versatile and applicable across a range of projects. The intended users are municipal officers and as such we wanted it to be short and usable.

University of Occupational Environmental Health)

5) Development of HIA screening tools for policies and projects⁵⁾⁶⁾

In screening you try to identify as many potential health impacts as possible. This should include not only scientific knowledge but also “lay knowledge” that incorporates information such as the anxieties and fears of stakeholders. This screening tool allows stakeholders to participate in the identification of potential health impacts and to characterize them in terms of being positive and negative, as well as their potential severity. This is then used in the decision to proceed with the HIA or not.

6) HIA of closing a research laboratory⁷⁾

Due to changes in the economic climate a major laboratory for an international corporation was closed. An HIA was conducted to look at the potential impacts on workers, who are both domestic and come from overseas.

7) HIA for introducing for reemployment system after retirement⁸⁾

Japan is facing a rapidly ageing population, with reduced birth rates and the retirement of the post-war Baby Boomers. A number of companies have reintroduced “re-employment” shemes for workers who have already retired to address workforce shortages. This HIA looked at the potential positive and negative health impacts of re-employment schemes.

References

1)      Public health monitoring report commission: Health Impact Assessment Guidance. Jpn J Public Health, 58:989-992, 2011 (in Japanese)   

2)      Hoshiko M Hara K, Ishitake T: Health Impact assessment of transition to a core city in Japan. Public Health, 123:771-781, 2009  

3)      Hoshiko M Hara K, Ishitake T: Assessing the validity of health impact assessment predictions regarding a Japanese city’s transition to core city statue: A monitoring review. Public Health, 126:168-176,2012

4)      Ishitake T: Development of a Health Impact Assessment Screening Tool for Use at the Municipal Level. HIA 2012 international conference in Quebec.

5)      Fujino Y, Nagata T, Kubo T, Uehara M, Kajiki S, Oyama I, Dohi K,

Mori K: Application of HIA for enterprise [1], Science for Labour 67(1)

32-35, 2012 (in Japanese)

6)      Nagata T, Fujino Y, Kubo T, Uehara M, Kajiki S, Oyama I, Dohi S, 

Mori K: Application of HIA for enterprise [2], Science for Labour 67(2)

40~43, 2012 (in Japanese)

7)      Nagata T, Fujino Y, Kubo T, Uehara M, Kajiki S, Oyama I, Dohi S, 

Mori K: Application of HIA for enterprise [6], Science for Labour 67(6)

26~29, 2012

8)      Tanaka H, Uehara M, Fujino Y, Nagata T, Kubo T, Kajiki S, Oyama I,

Dohi S, Mori K: Application of HIA for enterprise [7], Science for Labour

67(7), 38~42, 2012