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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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Substance Use Disorder Assessment and Resource Navigation (Austin, TX)

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

Goal: To engage patients who may benefit from early intervention and/or education about substance use disorders, and to direct the individuals toward treatment options at the most appropriate levels of care.

11th Street Family Health Services (Philadelphia, PA)

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

Goal: The goal of the 11th Street Family Health Services Center is to provide healthcare to underserved, low-income community members.

300-Mile Club (Louisville, KY)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Wellness & Lifestyle

Goal: The goal of this program is to encourage lifestyle changes that promote healthier living by promoting walking for exercise and educating participants about proper nutrition.

A Community Approach to Mosquito Control (Louisville, KY)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce the mosquito population in Metro Louisville and subsequently reduce mosquito-borne disease transmission.

A Reason to Survive (ARTS) (San Diego, California)

Filed under Good Idea, Art & Recreation / Art, Children, Teens, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: ARTS is dedicated to healing, inspiring and empowering children facing life challenges by providing innovative arts-based programs, education and opportunities.

A Safe Place (Oakland, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Domestic Violence & Abuse

Goal: A Safe Place's mission is to break the cycle of domestic and family violence by providing safe shelter and support services to victims and their children and to prevent violence through outreach and education in at-risk populations.

A.I.R. Harlem (Harlem)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: To improve the quality of life and academic achievement of asthmatic children, helping families break the revolving cycle of poverty that is worsened by chronic disease.

Impact: A reduction in ER visits by 64%, a reduction in overnight hospitalization by 85% and a reduction in school absences by 69%.

Academic Tutoring and Social Skills Training (Durham, NC)

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children

Goal: The goal of this program is to encourage social and academic development among grade school children who are socially rejected and have serious academic problems in reading or mathematics.

Achievement Mentoring (Piscataway, NJ)

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.

Achievement through Community Services, Education and Skill-Building (ACES) (Philadelphia, PA)

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

Goal: The goal of this program is to promote positive youth development and to help youth gain valuable work experience.

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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