Saludos y felicidades en el nuevo año,

La Escuela de Medicina de Mt. Sinai está abriendo una convocatoria para contratar los servicios profesionales de una persona que participe en la elaboración de un Health Impact Assessment para Martín Peña.  Incluyo copia del aviso abajo y en el anejo.  La contratación está condicionada a la asignación de fondos.  Agradeceremos su ayuda para distribuir esta información.

Professional Services Contract Opportunity

DUE DATE: January 14, 2013

Description:         Mount Sinai HIA Professional Services Contract

Project:                Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for the Caño Martín Peña

Funder:         Pew Charitable Trust (PEW)

Location:       Office of the Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Time allocation:        25 hrs per week; 12 months contract

Compensation:  $14.00/hour

Project Background:     The Martin Peña Channel (CMP) is a 3.5 mile (6 km) long natural tidal channel that is part of the only tropical estuary within the EPA's National Estuary Program: the San Juan Bay Estuary.   It is located in the heart of San Juan’s financial district, and for decades has been a symbol of urban poverty and environmental degradation. The Eastern half of the CMP was originally between 200 and 400 feet wide and is currently closed in with trash and debris, obstructing the water flow between the San José Lagoon and the San Juan Bay. Today, over 3,000 structures discharge raw sewage to the CMP, mainly through a precarious storm water system, contributing to its continued environmental degradation.  Frequent flooding with polluted water affects public health. 

The Mount Sinai School of Medicine will conduct a health impact assessment (HIA) to inform the Puerto Rico public official’s decision to finance the implementation of the Comprehensive Development Plan for the Caño Martín Peña (CMP), a project that seeks to restore eight of the poorest and most disenfranchised communities in San Juan, Puerto Rico, representing over 25,000 lives.  Mt. Sinai will work in close collaboration with theCorporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña, hereinafter ENLACE, the public entity in charge of coordinating the environmental restoration of the Caño Martín Peña (CMP) and the implementation of the Comprehensive Development Plan, as well as with the G-8, Inc., a community based organization that groups the leaders of the eight communities adjacent to the CMP.

Along with ENLACE and the G-8, Mt. Sinai will examine the potential health risks and benefits associated with the proposed project, including for example, exposure to environmental hazards, perceived displacement, and health risks related to unsanitary living conditions.  One key aspect of the HIA will be to study the possible impact of not completing the proposed dredging and restoration of 2.2 miles of the CMP. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop a plan, in collaboration with project leadership and epidemiologist, for the HIA analysis, including roles of the grantee and partners, data sources, stakeholder engagement strategies and analytic methods that will be used.
• Conduct a literature review and analysis on information available in ENLACE, including previous studies and resources.
• Assist with the design, management and evaluation of study protocols and health surveys (based on standardized questions) and analysis.
• Assist with the compilation of health surveys ( representative sample). 
• Assist with developing a plan to engage stakeholders.
• Assist with developing monthly reports to funders and other grant deliverables as needed.
• Develop a project evaluation plan that includes:  assessment of objectives, any additional impact of the HIA beyond the initial objectives, and the impact of the HIA on decision-making with explanations of the data that allowed the team to reach conclusions.
• Produce a final version of the HIA and finding presentations.
• Assist with the dissemination of the HIA report.

Qualifications:

• Education: Master’s in Public Health or equivalent practical training
• Strong communication skills: verbal and written (writing sample requested)
• Demonstration of initiative and ability to collaborate with diverse team
• Bilingual language skills: Spanish and English
• Experience in public health research and community participation

Although it will not be a requirement for selection, we will ask the chosen candidate to use his/her personal laptop, if available. 

What does a completed health impact assessment and report include?

• Screening summary: identification of key stakeholders and a discussion of how stakeholders were engaged during screening, a description of the decision or decisions that will be informed by the HIA and the timeline for these decisions, and a summary of the final reasons for selecting these decisions for an HIA. 
• Scoping summary: a workplan for the HIA, including identification of the populations likely to be affected by the HIA, description of the health issues that will be addressed and a summary of any health issues that were considered but will not be analyzed in depth in the HIA, the role of the entities (Mt. Sinai & ENLACE) in conducting the HIA, data sources and analytic methods that will be drawn upon, and a summary of how stakeholders were involved in developing the scope. 
• Monitoring and evaluation plan: a plan to evaluate the HIA process, impact, and outcomes, and a monitoring plan to track the indicators used to inform the process, impact and outcome evaluations. 
• The process evaluation will gauge the HIA’s quality according to established standards and the plan for carrying out the HIA.
• The impact evaluation will assess the HIA impact on decision making and implementation of proposed recommendations.
• The outcome evaluation will assess changes in health status and health determinants as the decision is implemented. 
• Literature review: a systematic literature review for the health effects identified in the scoping summary.
• Baseline community health profile: a description of the health status of the affected population, including rates of health outcomes that could be affected, a description of important influences on health, and identification of any vulnerable populations that might be disproportionately affected.
• Assessment: an assessment of potential health impacts of the proposed policy, project, program, or plan and any alternatives under current consideration.  The assessment will rely on the best available data, any survey results or new analyses conducted as part of the HIA, and input from stakeholders, and will also consider impacts on vulnerable subgroups. This may include community focus groups and mental and social welfare surveys. The assessment will also include a description of analytic methods and stakeholder engagement during this phase of the HIA. 
• Recommendations: a detailed description of recommended actions that could be taken to reduce health risks and improve health, including, for each recommendation, a discussion of what agency or entity has the ability to implement a recommendation and identification of indicators that could be monitored as the recommendation is implemented to ensure success.  A summary of how stakeholders were engaged in the process of developing recommendations.
• Executive summary: a concise, easy to read summary that effectively communicates the topic of the HIA, the objectives for conducting the HIA, and the methods, most important findings and recommendations.  

How to apply:

On or prior to JANUARY 14, 2013, send resume, cover letter and writing sample to:

• E-mail:  info@martinpena.org and damiris.perez@mssm.edu
  Subject:  Mount Sinai HIA Professional Services Contract

DISCLAIMERS: Final offer and contract are dependent upon approval of funds for a competitive proposal submitted to the PEW Research Center.   Contract will be signed with the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Pediatric Environmental Health Services Unit.  Work will be performed at the ENLACE offices in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

Lyvia N. Rodríguez Del Valle

Directora Ejecutiva

Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña

Apartado Postal 41308

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00940-1308

T. 787.729.1594

F. 787.725.2544

lrodriguez@martinpena.org