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 Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children, Urban
The goal of Prime Time Palm Beach County is to improve the quality of school-age afterschool programs through assessment, guidance, and support.
Based on the 2009 study findings, Prime Time's Quality Improvement System resulted in improvements made to afterschool programs which enhanced quality programming and important developmental learning experiences for youth.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes
The mission of this organization is to provide services for eligible citizens that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty, promote upward mobility, and enrich the quality of life.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Social Environment, Families
The Utah Commission on Marriage is charged with making recommendations about how to promote, strengthen and increase awareness of the importance of marriage in Utah.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
The initial goal of the PMDB development project was to: enable registry staff to collect, store, and easily retrieve large volumes of provider data; accelerate provider recruitment and enrollment by allowing for more organized, effcient outreach; improve provider retention by improving the quality and timeliness of follow-up; and allow registry management to quickly assemble meaningful data for program and staff evaluation.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Men
The goal of Behavior Management through Adventure is to address the needs of at-risk youth in therapeutic settings.
Behavior Management Through Adventure was successful in lowering rearrest rates, decreasing the time period from release until rearrest, improving depression symptoms, increasing family self-concept, and lowering social introversion.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens
The King County Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative goals are to reduce obesity and tobacco use.
Communities Putting Prevention to Work in King County is associated with reducing obesity prevalence among students in participating school districts and has made substantial progress towards decreasing tobacco use.
Direct Mailing of Fecal Occult Blood Tests to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening (Wright County, MN)
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
The goal of this program was to increase colorectal cancer screening using direct mailings of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kits for noninvasive colon cancer screening.
Direct mailing of FOBT kits resulted in an increase in self-reported colon cancer screening adherence.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity
MANNA uses nutrition to improve health for people with serious illnesses who need nourishment to heal. By providing medically tailored meals and nutrition education, we empower people to improve their health and quality of life.
MANNA members report significant health care cost reductions due to improved health.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Older Adults
To assess whether an Individualized Management for Patient-Centered Targets (IMPaCT), delivered by community health workers improved patients' chronic disease management and self-rated physical and mental health.
Individuals with multiple chronic conditions when paired with a community health worker will perceive that their care is higher quality and may have fewer hospitalizations.
Medicaid Savings Resulted When Community Health Workers Matched Those With Needs To Home And Community Care (Arkansas)
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Economy / Government Assistance, Older Adults
The goal of this program is to reduce costs by using specially trained community health workers to help connect people with unmet long-term needs and/or those at risk of entering nursing homes to Medicaid home and community-based services.
Similar interventions may help other localities achieve cost-saving and equitable access to publicly funded long-term care options other than institutional care.