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, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Goal: AccessHealth Spartanburg's mission is to improve access to healthcare for the uninsured of Spartanburg County, SC.
Impact: AHS reduced inappropriate emergency room use and inpatient caseloads while increasing access to healthcare services for its clients in Spartanburg County. Furthermore, the organization reported a $17 to $1 ROI.
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 Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Families, Urban
Goal: The goal of Achievers for Life is to work with 6th grade students and their families in order to prevent students from dropping out of high school.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Prevention & Safety, Women
Goal: The goals of this program are to increase awareness of risk factors for sexual assault, provide women with practical strategies to prevent rape, and reduce the incidence of sexual assault among participants.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity
Goal: The mission of ACT!vate Omaha is to create awareness, advocacy and excitement about activity and the importance of designing our community for active lifestyles.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of this project is to increase physical activity among sedentary older adults over three years. The project recruits older adults who are at risk and encourages them to incorporate physical activity into their lives.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alternative Medicine
Goal: The mission of Acupuncturists Without Borders is to help alleviate suffering of people worldwide through community acupuncture treatment and training.
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.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Educational Attainment, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: Admission Possible aims to assist low-income students enroll in a four-year college with the necessary financial support and to strengthen an ethic of service in the community.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Civic Engagement, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The Adopt a Native Elder program was established to build bridges between cultures and between individuals through the native tradition of adoption.