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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.

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AIDS Care Project (Boston, MA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alternative Medicine

Goal: The goal of the AIDS Care Project is to provide acupuncture therapy to people living with HIV/AIDS.

AIDS Insurance Continuation Program (Florida)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults, Families

Goal: The goal of the AIDS Insurance Continuation Program is to provide low-income Floridians living with HIV/AIDS with continuous private health insurance coverage.

Air North Texas (Texas)

Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Air

Goal: The goal of the partnership is to offer the public a comprehensive air quality resource while promoting a consistent regional air quality message.

Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line (Alaska)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Adults

Goal: The goal of Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line is to help Alaska residents quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco.

Appalachian Violence Outreach Network (AVON) (Kentucky)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Domestic Violence & Abuse, Rural

Goal: The goal of the Appalachian Violence Outreach Network is to identify and provide services to women living in rural, underserved areas that have experienced interpersonal violence.

Arizona Dental Sealant Program (Arizona)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Oral Health, Children

Goal: The goal of the Arizona Dental Sealant Program is to reduce dental caries in children.

Arts Olympiad

Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Environmental Justice, Children

Goal: To enhance academic performance and imbue global citizenship by nurturing children’s creativity, developing empathy, and instilling healthy lifestyles.

Arts Residency Interventions in Special Education (ARISE) Project (San Francisco, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens, Urban

Goal: The goal of the Arts Residency Interventions in Special Education (ARISE) Project is to help youth develop creative expression, critical thinking, and basic learning through the arts.

Ask Me (Idaho)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Women

Goal: The goal or this program is to improve early detection of breast cancer through health education using a visual tool.

Aspiritech (Chicago, IL)

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment, Adults

Goal: Aspiritech's mission is to provide a path for high-functioning individuals on the autism spectrum to realize their potential through meaningful employment.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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