Equity Commission narrows HiAP framework, agrees to change 'overburdened populations' label

The Frederick County Equity & Inclusion Commission devoted the bulk of its May 7 meeting to further development of a Health in All Policies (HiAP) assessment tool intended to help the county evaluate the equity consequences of policies and programs. Members listed the project goal as: "Validate the framework direction, Co-create trigger criteria, Define “impact” in Frederick County, & Build ownership without losing structure." The minutes record that the commission wrestled with how to measure population and financial impacts and whether the tool should be used for negative impacts only or for all proposals.

Members reached a consensus to change the phrase "Overburdened populations" to "Protected Classes," and discussed categorizing population impact, specifying economic versus county/public cost, and using suggested point totals to automatically flag policies for a full analysis as "Significant" or "Catastrophic." Staff members Therese Ragland and Tiffani Kenney shared questions and feedback from the County Executive's office about administration, timing, and alignment with Livable Frederick. The minutes do not specify a deadline for adoption or who will ultimately administer the tool.