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 Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Goal: The primary goal of the program is to protect the public from WNV by early detection of WNV and elimination of mosquitoes.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Children, Families, Urban
Goal: Westside Infant-Family Network’s mission is to ensure that families with prenatal through three-year-olds receive the mental health care and community resources they need to strengthen their families and achieve healthy parent-child relationships.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Children
Goal: The goal of the WHACK the Flu project was to provide strategies for children to employ to reduce the transmission of communicable diseases to their families and other contacts.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Transportation, Adults, Older Adults
Goal: Shepherd's Center Central is a local leader in the regional effort to ensure that all people can age successfully with dignity, security, and respect.
Impact: The Wheels that Care program helped 77 older adults attend their necessary appointments and maintain their independence through 1,550 hours of travel time to and from participants' homes and their appointments.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Women
Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce barriers to exercise and increase the likelihood that people will engage in physical activity.
Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment, Women
Goal: The Women and Work project works to build women’s equity and increase women's economic security by expanding their occupational choices.
Impact: The Women and Work project increases resources and opportunities for women in non-traditional jobs through a variety of policy and programmatic initiatives.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: This project seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of both providing the intervention and recruiting participants in a community setting.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Air
Goal: The goal of a wood stove changeout campaign is to reduce the usage of inefficient wood stoves in order to improve air quality.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Disabilities, Children
Goal: The purpose of Access Living's Y.I.E.L.D. (Youth for Integration through Education, Leadership and Discovery) the Power Project was to increase the participation of youth with disabilities in mainstream workforce development activities through a variety of youth-led systems change initiatives. Specific goals included the following:
-Train 100 youth with disabilities to become leaders in the disability community and other sectors of their communities
-Witness and document systems change in at least 10 WIA (Workforce Investment Act)-assisted youth programs in Chicago through trainings and focused one-on-one technical assistance
-Provide paid and unpaid work experiences for youth with disabilities.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Diabetes, Adults
Goal: The goal is for participants to lose seven percent of their body weight and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week in order to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.