The Center for Health Equity at Drexel University School of Public Health conducted a rapid HIA on the potential health impacts of a slot machine casino under construction in a residential area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The HIA identified five major pathways through which the casino could impact health: employment, traffic congestion, physical activity, problem gambling and public health services. The HIA found that the SugarHouse Casino is likely to have social and economic impacts that are associated with both positive and negative health outcomes for the Philadelphia area. The HIA recommended that a full HIA be conducted for future casino projects in order to provide affected communities and stakeholders with an opportunity to voice concerns and promote health benefits and reduce health costs associated with casino projects.
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This Health Impact Assessment Report first appeared in The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health. The Cross-Sector Toolkit for Health was originally developed by the Health Impact Project, formerly a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The creation of this resource was supported by a grant from the Health Impact Project. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts, or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
