Promising Practices
The Promising Practices database informs professionals and community members about documented approaches to improving community health and quality of life.
The ultimate goal is to support the systematic adoption, implementation, and evaluation of successful programs, practices, and policy changes. The database provides carefully reviewed, documented, and ranked practices that range from good ideas to evidence-based practices.
Learn more about the ranking methodology.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens
Goal: The mission of the Sponsor-A-Mind® program is to supply underprivileged school children and classrooms in less affluent neighborhoods with the basic materials needed to exist and thrive in education.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Rural
Goal: The goal of Steps to a Healthier Yuma County is to prevent obesity and diabetes in young children.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Domestic Violence & Abuse, Families
Goal: The mission of DAIP is to provide advocacy on behalf of battered women. DAIP staff provide information and assess the women's safety regardless of the situation, but they also offer advocacy at three key time periods: immediately after police intervention and arrest, throughout the court proceedings, and after case disposition. The advocates offer support and information about available community resources, explain the criminal court process, describe the civil court remedies available, and obtain information from the women in order to serve as their liaisons to the legal system and to ascertain the level of danger that each woman is in.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Goal: The Michigan Antibiotic Resistance Reduction Coalition (MARR) seeks to improve the use of antimicrobial agents and reduce antimicrobial resistance rates in health care facilities and communities throughout the state of Michigan through the collaborative efforts of academic, community, government, labor and industry partners. MARR seeks to accomplish this mission by serving as a catalyst and facilitator for programs of judicious antimicrobial use, and providing such programs; maintaining a repository of current and credible information about antimicrobial resistance; and participating in clinical interventions and research that will ensure improved antimicrobial use and reduce antimicrobial resistance.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve standards of care for patients with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in Missouri.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Diabetes
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve diabetes care in Missouri.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children, Families
Goal: Triple P aims to enhance the knowledge, skills, and confidence of parents to prevent behavioral, emotional, and developmental problems in children and prevent child maltreatment.
Impact: Triple P increased confidence in parenting ability and reduced the incidence of verified maltreatment among participants in the program.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve academic performance, reduce substance abuse, and reduce school failure among middle and high school students.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Governance, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The Boston Public Health Commission worked to ensure their efforts were effective in reaching the populations experiencing obesity and tobacco-related health inequities.
Impact: Boston Public Health Commissions' strategic evaluation design allowed the department to make mid-course adjustments and enhanced their ability to contribute to the evidence-base regarding the influence of their initiative on advancing health equity.
Addressing the Social Determinants of Health through the Alameda County, California, Place Matters Policy Initiative (Alameda County, CA)
Filed under Good Idea, Health, Urban
Goal: The goal of the Place Matters initiative is to improve the health of participating communities by “addressing social conditions that lead to poor health” through “identifying the complex root causes of health disparities and defining strategies to address them.”
Impact: AC Place Matters has identified 10 best practices that could help other programs address social determinants of health: find and foster strong leadership, dedicate staff resources to the work, engage staff from across the local health department, contribute to building grassroots power, address root causes, partner with community organizations and leaders, partner with government institutions across sectors, work reactively and proactively, build capacity, and use tools that ensure a focus on health equity.