Home > Promising Practices

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.

Submit a Promising Practice

Search Filters Clear all
(1313 results)

Save a link to this search

Ranking
Featured
Primary Target Audience
Topics and Subtopics
Geographic Type
Search

The Homeless Garden Project (Santa Cruz County, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes

Goal: 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.

The HOV System: Guide to High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (Harris County, Texas)

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation, Urban

Goal: The goal of METRO's HOV lane network is to reduce traffic congestion and promote ridesharing and the use of public transportation.

The INC Well (Kansas City, MO)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: The INC Well's goal is to improve upon the built and social environment to establish a health and wellness supportive presence for those who are taking a proactive role in their quality of life.

Impact: The INC Well created a dedicated space where people can utilize health resources and take their wellness into their own hands.

The Louisiana Recovery Authority (Louisiana)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment

Goal: The Louisiana Recovery Authority is working with Governor Blanco to plan for Louisiana's future, coordinate across jurisdictions, support community recovery and resurgence, and ensure integrity and effectiveness. Working in collaboration with local, state and federal agencies, the authority is addressing short-term recovery needs while simultaneously guiding the long-term planning process.

The Neighborhood Work Project (New York, NY)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment

Goal: For over 25 years, CEO's consistent goal has been to provide immediate, comprehensive, and effective employment services for men and women returning from prison and others under community supervision in New York City.

The New Jersey State Cancer Registry (New Jersey)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer, Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal of this program is to encourage early detection of breast cancer among diverse populations in New Jersey. When breast cancer is diagnosed at a local stage, 97% of women still are alive 5 years later. The 5-year survival rate decreases to 21% when the disease is diagnosed after it has spread to other sites.

The New York City Compost Project (New York City)

Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants, Urban

Goal: The goal of this project is to provide compost outreach and education to New York City residents and businesses.

The Pacific Hotel: Low-Income Housing (Seattle, WA)

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

Goal: PHG works to eliminate homelessness and stabilize homeless and very low-income people in housing by preserving, developing and operating safe, decent, affordable housing, and by providing opportunities for homeless and very low-income people to improve their lives.

The PanAfrican Acupuncture Project (Brookline, MA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alternative Medicine

Goal: The goal of the PanAfrican Acupuncture Project is to train locals in acupuncture techniques so that they can use this alternative healing method in their communities to treat symptoms of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB.

The PedNet Coalition (Columbia, MO)

Filed under Good Idea, Community / Transportation

Goal: The goal of the Coalition is to give citizens a real choice regarding the mode of transportation they elect for traveling to work, school, or recreaton as well as to encourage healthier lifestyles and a cleaner environment.

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.