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 Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Teens
Goal: The goal of this intervention was to enhance protective factors associated with reducing suicide among high school students.
Impact: The Sources of Strength program was successful in increasing students likelihood of seeking help from an adult at school, as well as those adults ability to help suicidal students.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Oral Health, Children, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of St. Peter's Dental Program is to improve access to dental care and treatment for the poor, elderly, and under served populations living in and around Albany, New York.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Urban
Goal: To determine whether online peer support will increase adherence to an Internet-based pedometer walking program.
Impact: Stepping up to Health shows that online communities can help reduce attrition within online health behavior change interventions.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of the Stroke Family Support Organizer program is to provide stroke patients and caregivers with information about supportive services.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer
Goal: The goal of this campaign was to educate park visitors about the need to protect themselves from the damaging rays of the sun and how best to prevent skin cancer.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: To bring a culture of physical activity to the Latino and African-American communities in Chicago in order to decrease health problems related to inactivity.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Urban
Goal: Insite’s mission is to provide a safe environment for people to inject drugs and thus reduce injecting activity in public while linking drug users to health care services such as primary care, addiction counseling and treatment.
Impact: Opening supervised injected facilities have resulted in significant reductions in public injection drug use related issues and increase in referrals to social services and detoxification programs in Vancouver.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Women
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide prenatal care services to incarcerated pregnant women.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children, Adults, Families
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide parents with the necessary skills to improve their parent/child communication and overall family functioning.
Impact: STEP has been implemented in more than 1,000 schools, agencies, churches, and mental health treatment facilities since 1976, reaching more than 4 million parents. Outside the US, STEP has been implemented in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Romania, and South Korea.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Goal: The goal of this program is to prevent the spread of tuberculosis among the homeless population.