Research

This primer reviews what right to counsel laws are, how they advance racial and health justice, and ways public health practitioners can support right to counsel efforts.

HIP’s 2023 Year in Review offers a look back at what we accomplished in the past year, and some of the key lessons we learned along the way.

This report describes how the inappropriate use of a public health imperative to require workers to pay for food safety training directly contravenes basic and widely accepted public health principles of providing critical community health information free to the most vulnerable members of a community.

We collaborated with Californians United for a Responsible Budget; California Coalition for Women Prisoners; and Transgender, Gender-variant, and Intersex Justice Project to create a research report, fact sheet, and social media tiles about the harms of women’s prisons.

HIP’s research team created this Code of Ethics to hold ourselves accountable to practicing research that is responsible, equitable, and just. We developed this resource with guidance from community organizers we have partnered with on previous research projects.

Research brief in partnership with North Bay Jobs with Justice describing how wine industry and governmental labor policies harm Sonoma County farmworkers’ safety and economic security in the context of climate crises.

Research brief demonstrates the measurable benefits to public health and health equity that would result from a $5 an hour wage increase at Walmart.

We partnered with the Dignity Not Detention Coalition to create a resource outlining recommendations for what healthy, just, and supportive immigration policy can look like for unaccompanied youth immigrating to the US, without relying on detention or detention-like facilities.

Research brief developed in partnership with United For Respect reveals that Walmart could have prevented at least 7,618 COVID-19 cases and saved 133 lives last year with an adequate paid sick time policy — and urges Walmart to institute an expanded and universally accessible paid leave policy for all employees.

We developed a series of research briefs in partnership with Chainbreaker Collective to examine the scale and public health impacts of the COVID-19 era eviction crisis on renter households in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

With support from the California Department of Public Health Office of Health Equity, we created this resource with recommendations and actions that local health departments can take to protect worker health and safety during COVID-19 and beyond.

We partnered with Fresno Barrios Unidos to create a research brief about the health harms of school policing and the public health benefits of investing in non-punitive supports for students.

We partnered with Warehouse Worker Resource Center to develop a research brief and two factsheets on the physical and mental health impacts that Amazon’s inhumane quota and tracking systems have on warehouse workers and delivery drivers.

We partnered with United for a New Economy and 9to5 Colorado to research how the housing instability crisis in Colorado impacts the health of low- and moderate-income renters, and developed policy recommendations to repeal the statewide ban on rent stabilization policies in support of public health and equity.

In support of the Schools and Communities First campaign to reform commercial property tax in California, we developed a set of infographics to showcase how restoring county resources can advance health equity. We are also mobilizing public health to join the campaign to pass Prop 15, the statewide initiative which will be on the California ballot in November 2020.

Research brief in collaboration with Chainbreaker Collective on the health impacts of developing a Community Land Trust to stabilize housing in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We partnered with the Asian Prisoner Support Committee and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus to create a research brief, toolkit, and resources to address the health impacts of direct transfers from California prisons and jails to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Lead Local was a collaborative research project seeking to answer the question: How does community power catalyze, create and sustain conditions for healthy communities? As part of this project, HIP developed a primer on power, housing justice and health equity with Right to the City Alliance and a survey of health departments collaborating with community organizers.

We partnered with Community Advocates Public Policy Institute in Milwaukee to research how the affordability, quality, and stability of housing affect the health of renters, and developed policy recommendations that will improve housing, health, and equity for renters in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin.

National research report on the pathways through which pretrial incarceration and money bail impact health with considerations for how to prioritize community health instead of punishment. We partnered with Faith in Florida for the first county-specific research brief to inform local policy decisions.

Research report in partnership with Manufactured Housing Action (MHAction), revealing intersecting threats — of exploitative community owner practices, destructive climate disasters, and ineffective disaster recovery programs — to the health and well-being of Florida’s manufactured home community residents.

Research report in collaboration with Gig Workers Rising, examining the health impacts of driving for a ride-hail company like Lyft or Uber.

In partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Youth Diversion and Development, we created an evaluation framework for assessing racial equity in youth diversion.

We partnered with Free Hearts in Tennessee, Operation Restoration in Louisiana, and Families for Justice & Healing in Massachusetts to research the health and equity impacts of expanding the use of community-based alternatives to incarceration for convicted parents in each of those states. We produced state-specific reports and fact sheets to inform policy decision-making at the state level on this important issue.

Research report in collaboration with Missouri Faith Voices on the health impacts of predatory lending and how the industry unfairly targets vulnerable communities in Missouri.

A report showcasing the effects on the health of children, parents, and families who live in the Rio Grande Valley when they live in fear of a parent or household loved one being deported, or if they’ve already experienced forced family separation as a result of deportation.

A report that reveals policy gaps and proposes solutions for how California Paid Family Leave (PFL) and additional workplace policies can serve all working family caregivers as they care for their loved ones in times of need.

Research and organizing tools on how unstable work hours affect the health and mental health of workers and families.

We produced a report evaluating the health and equity impacts of charging 17-year-olds in juvenile court rather than adult court in Michigan. We also mobilized public health to join the campaign to pass Raise the Age legislation in Michigan.

In 2017, we mobilized public health support for the early California Money Bail Reform Act. In 2018 the Act changed significantly, and many of the original sponsors withdrew their support. The materials here reflect early versions of the Act.

A report on the health impacts of youth arrest in Michigan that highlights a set of promising alternatives to youth arrest including civil citations and trauma-informed approaches.

A report showcasing interventions both inside and outside of the justice system to improve health and well-being of Riverside County residents —also including a budget analysis of Riverside County “public protection” spending.

A report on health impacts of charging youth as adults, with recommendations for increased community investment and restorative justice-oriented solutions.

A report on health impacts of current practice in Wisconsin to incarcerate people for breaking rules of parole, probation, or supervision but who have not been convicted of a new crime, and recommendations to change that practice.

An HIA of expanding access to preschool in Cincinnati, OH.

An assessment of the barriers and successes that public health departments have experienced in participating in criminal justice system reform, with recommendations for action.

Assessment of the health and safety implications of transporting coal through Oakland.

Process and impact evaluation of LACDPH Parks After Dark and Women’s Re-Entry Court HIAs.

An HIA on health impacts of policies that exclude people with criminal records from public housing, with a case study in Oakland, CA.

An HIA of payday lending reforms in Minnesota.

A report looking at the health impacts of climate change in Northampton, Massachusetts. This report is unique in that it looks at climate change in a very local context, whereas most reports about climate change and health are on a state- or region-wide basis.

A two-year study that looked at how community participation impacted core HIA values like democracy and equity, and how participation affected the success of the HIA.

A collection of data on local health status and inequities, relevant public health research, and community and stakeholder input, to inform prioritization of 65 strategies in The Healthy Chula Vista Action Plan, in California.

An HIA on a proposed 50-mile multi-use path for pedestrians, bicycles, and low-speed electric vehicles. HIP led the HIA process and wrote the draft report. Riverside University Health System–Public Health and Coachella Valley Association of Governments edited and finalized the report and released it in November 2015.

An assessment of policing practices in Ohio, with specific focus on impacts to black people and police.

The Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft used our HIA research and associated advocacy by health professionals to deepen support for the ordinance among city council members. The ordinance passed in 2015. In addition, the California Fair Paycheck Coalition used the HIA and advocacy from health professionals to win the passage of a statewide wage theft bill, SB 588, in 2015.

A report on health and equity effects of a proposed development in South Central Los Angeles.

An HIA examining gang injunction in Santa Ana, CA.

A comment letter and HIA of a proposed road extension in an environmental justice community in New Mexico.

A report analyzing public resource allocation and risk of displacement in neighborhoods of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

An HIA of a proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline project in Torrance County, New Mexico.

An HIA on a bill to reinstate tuition assistance for people in prison in New York State.

HIAs on School Discipline and Restorative Justice Policies in Los Angeles, Oakland, Salinas and Merced, California

An HIA of a statewide ballot initiative in California that reclassifies low-level non-violent crimes to misdemeanors and redirects funding to treatment and prevention.

Restorative justice and health in Merced schools; Improving health impacts through school discipline policy in Merced, CA.

An HIA of a proposed skatepark in San Diego, CA.

Rapid analysis to inform California legislature of health impacts from a bill proposed to raise the statewide minimum wage.

A report on health and equity considerations to inform how money is allocated to California schools.

An examination of a continued policy of immigrant detentions and deportations at the federal level.

An HIA of a proposed policies to encourage school racial/ethnic integration in Minnesota.

A series of HIAs examining paid sick days legislation at local, state and federal levels.

An HIA examining an increase in funding for treatment alternatives in Wisconsin.

An HIA of proposed changes to residential Code Enforcement policies in Marin County, CA.

An HIA of a proposed stadium development project in downtown Los Angeles, CA.

An HIA of a proposed land use plan in Los Angeles, CA.

An HIA of proposed federal regulations related to public housing management

An HIA of a proposed freeway expansion project in Los Angeles, CA.

Health impact assessments (HIAs) enable decisions-makers to assess proposed policies, projects and programmes with respect to their potential health impact. The purpose of this rapid HIA was to inform the debate within a state legislature about the value of state policy…

Abstract: As a tool for deliberately planning for and optimizing the ways in which we design our environments, Health Impact Assessment (HIA) holds promise for achieving environmental justice and health equity…

An HIA of a proposed low-income senior housing development project in Oakland, CA