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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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Flex Your Power Case Study: Santa Clara Valley Water District (San Jose, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Energy & Sustainability, Urban

Goal: Besides attempting to prevent rolling blackouts, the City of San Jose wanted to participate in the water conservation program to reduce the amount of treated wastewater that is released into San Francisco Bay.
Specific goals included:
-Continue to support SCVWD's mission of water supply and management in spite of external power interruptions,
- Provide 24-hour battery backup for SCADA instrumentation and communications,
-Provide indefinite power backup via backup generators for critical source pumping, water treatment and emergency operations, and
- Reduce HVAC and lighting use to prudent levels.

Health Science in Motion (Palm Beach County)

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

Goal: The goal of HSIM is to increase at-risk youth interest in health sciences through its hands-on curriculum on the heart and DNA.

Healthy Active Lents (Portland, OR)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment

Goal: The goal of this program is to promote active people in active neighborhoods

Healthy Communities Walking Program (Michigan)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Older Adults

Goal: The goal of the Healthy Communities Walking Program is to reduce the occurrence of preventable chronic diseases, especially those associated with being overweight, by assisting participants in setting up exercise regimes and encouraging healthy eating.

Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) (Sonoma, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Families

Goal: The goal of the HEAL initiative is empower communities to make changes in their physical and social environment to improve nutrition and physical activity.

Hearts for Life (Ontario, Canada)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults

Goal: The goal of the Hearts for Life program is to increase knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors and encourage healthy cardiovascular behaviors.

How to Cope (Kansas City, MO)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Adults, Older Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: The goal of How to Cope is to help adults impacted by a loved one's substance abuse create a balanced and healthy life, even if their loved one continues to abuse substances.

Impact: Over 100 adults impacted by a loved one's addiction to alcohol or drugs participated in How to Cope in 2013, with 87% showing increased knowledge of the harmful effects and other drugs and 100% completing an action plan.

Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults (Jamaica, NY)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults

Goal: The Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults mission is "a total community working together to provide services to, and develop skills in, older adults in order to promote independence and enhance their quality of life."

Job Link (Cleveland, OH)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Children, Teens

Goal: LEAP's mission is to "empower people with disabilities in making significant life choices and changes to enhance their employment and independent living opportunities." The Job Link program aims to assist students in making a successful transition from school to employment and adult community life.

Kentucky Mountain Housing Development Corporation (KMHDC) (Clay and Jackson Counties, KY)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Rural

Goal: The goal of this program is to provide safe and affordable low-income housing in Clay and Jackson Counties.

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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