Identifying and Selecting Mitigation Strategies

The third step of the Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) involves identifying ways to reduce the potential negative impacts and amplify the potential positive impacts of the program, policy, or initiative. It can be tricky to identify mitigation strategies and evaluate their feasibility or likelihood of being implemented. Mitigation strategies must be selected strategically to ensure that those responsible for implementing them are receptive to the recommendations. This tip sheet provides some suggestions for addressing these challenges.  

The HEIA Workbook by the Government of Ontario offers several useful questions and suggestions that may prompt and facilitate the process for generating mitigation strategies. Below are some additional tips: 

• Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate: Take advantage of the insights of fellow staff members who are familiar with the program, policy, or initiative. Consider collaborating with members of the population groups that were selected in step one. They may be able to offer a variety of suggestions.   (Tip: Conduct a focus group or organize a teleconference to present the unintended positive and negative impacts identified in step two and garner suggestions for mitigating them.)
• Think simple: Effective mitigation strategies need not be complex or difficult to implement. The best way of improving the equity of a program, policy, or initiative may be to keep the changes small‐scale.  (Tip: Simple mitigation strategies can include modifying wording to ensure inclusivity of various groups in a policy/resource or the provision of TTC tokens to increase access to a program.)

Assessing Mitigation Strategies for Feasibility  

Mitigation strategies must be assessed for feasibility before they can be implemented. It is important that practical recommendations be provided to those responsible for implementing them to ensure positive reception of them.  

Consider using a matrix to categorize mitigation strategies based on effort required and resulting impact. This will help members of the organization responsible for implementing the mitigation strategies to select ones that are most practical based on considerations such as availability of funds, time, staff resources, and more.