One way we help promote health equity in Washington is through Health Impact Reviews. A Health Impact Review (HIR) is an analysis of a proposed legislative or budgetary change to determine how it may impact health and health equity. The State Board of Health completes reviews at the request of the Governor or a member of the Legislature. During the 2020 legislative session staff completed 12 HIRs, of which 33 percent were related to healthcare. Other reviews were related to behavioral health, criminal justice, economics, education, and transportation. Staff testified six times on HIR findings before House and Senate committees and sent a total of four memos to the Governor’s office summarizing HIR findings for bills that passed during the session. To date, the HIR team completed 93 reviews at the request of 52 different Legislators and the Governor. To learn more about HIRs, findings on recent reviews, or to request a review visit our web page.
