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, Environmental Health / Air
Goal: The goal of the Green Flag Incentive Program is to reduce air pollution in communities surrounding the Port of Long Beach.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Prevention & Safety, Children, Teens, Adults
Goal: To decrease the number of children hit by motor vehicles in school zones and crosswalks.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment
Goal: Greenbelt Alliance's mission is to improve the lives in the San Francisco Bay Area by protecting the region's greenbelt and improving the livability of its cities and towns.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Families
Goal: The aim of the Growing Healthy Kids Project is to support nutrition, healthy eating, and family unity among local families by providing community gardening space.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Urban
Goal: To provide temporary housing to former foster youth between the ages 18 and 24 and to help them become independent adults.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of school-based health centers is to reduce gaps in education and increase health equity in low-income communities.
Impact: When targeted to low-income communities, school-based health centers are likely to narrow gaps in education and improve health equity.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to ensure that city planning and policy making accounts for how land use development impacts community health resources.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Governance, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The ultimate goal of this approach is to fundamentally change government so that agencies are aligned around a common vision for a healthy and equitable society, and so that health is considered in decision-making across sectors and policy areas.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to educate during every visit, to assist patients in developing a longitudinal personal record of medical history and care plans, and to provide a tangible way to engage patients in their own care. The overarching goal was better compliance, recognition of medication side effects, and improved adherence to specific and agreed upon lifestyle changes.
Impact: Sixty percent of patients participate in care plan tracking with a health notebook, and 80% percent of patients complete a prep form to help organize visits.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of the program was to target the housing support needs of its members with the objective of reducing institutionalization, improving quality of life, and reducing total costs of care.
Impact: The large majority of participants surveyed indicated that their quality of life was maintained or increased during the pilot and that they were satisfied with the program.