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 Local, Good Idea, Economy, Adults
Expected Beneficial Outcomes: Improved health outcomes; Increased job satisfaction; Reduced absenteeism; Increased productivity. Other Potential Beneficial Outcomes: Improved mental health; Improved work-life balance; Increased sleep; Reduced stress; Increased well-being.
Filed under Local, Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Families
The programs’ mission is to inform and inspire parents and all who care about children so that every child may be happy, healthy, and thrive.
Filed under Local, Good Idea, Economy, Adults
Expected Beneficial Outcomes: Increased earnings; Reduced poverty.
Filed under Local, Good Idea, Economy, Adults
Expected Beneficial Outcomes: Increased access to paid leave; Increased access to health care. Other Potential Beneficial Outcomes: Improved health outcomes; Increased use of parental leave.
Filed under Local, Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes
The goals of the Homeless Garden Project (HGP) are to offer a supportive, meaningful work environment that encourages self-esteem, responsibility, and self-sufficiency; to integrate homeless people and the community in the security and beauty of a productive garden; and to put into practice the principles of economic and ecological sustainability.
Filed under Local, Good Idea, Economy, Adults
Expected Beneficial Outcomes: Increased financial stability; Improved well-being. Other Potential Beneficial Outcomes: Increased food security; Reduced poverty; Reduced suicide; Reduced crime; Improved academic outcomes; Improved health outcomes.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
The goal of this program is to improve colorectal cancer screening rates among older adults.
Participants in the intervention group had significantly higher colorectal cancer screening attendance, as well as having more positive attitudes about screening and placing a higher priority on screening.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens
The goal of this program is to strategically connect resources in schools in order to help young people learn, stay in school, and prepare for life.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Teens, Adults
The goal of this project is to achieve high rates of identification of new HIV infection and to decrease the spread of HIV among youth in metropolitan DC, which is severely affected by the epidemic.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Families
The Healthy Neighborhoods program seeks to reduce housing related illness and injury through prevention and education.
In the past five years, the HNP visited 31,000 homes with 85,000 residents, and provided the asthma intervention to 11,000 adults and children with asthma. The assessments created a valuable data set about the health effects of housing hazards.