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, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: Addressing environmental issues on a watershed basis requires the cooperation and participation of many different people. This initiative aims to facilitate partnerships between state agencies, NGOs and civil society in order to yield better environmental results.
Integrating Community Service with Higher Education Student Government Programming (Sonoma County, CA)
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Civic Engagement, Teens
Goal: The goal is to integrate community service programs at colleges and universities into the programming objectives of student government organizations in order to achieve greater student involvement and more stable funding.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Family Planning, Women
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide reproductive health care services to women and men in the Denver STD clinic.
Impact: Enrollment in family planning services increased significantly. Among women returning within 12 months, pregnancies were lower among enrolled versus non-enrolled women. Total additional cost was $29.95/visit, and 40.1 minutes of additional staff time.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Families
Goal: Interfaith Housing Alliance strengthens families, builds communities and promotes human dignity and economic justice by providing decent, affordable housing for those with lower incomes. Through education, advocacy and the creation of new jobs, they foster economic growth and overcome the effects of shelter poverty.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Educational Attainment, Children
Goal: The purpose of the Interlocal Association's (IA) Youth with Disabilities Project was to support demonstration projects to help Workforce Investment Act (WIA)-assisted youth programs develop the capacity to serve youth with disabilities. Although youth with disabilities had been served under previous employment and training programs during the latter years of the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), with the implementation of WIA, services such as work experience, summer employment, and others decreased substantially. IA looked to expand and enhance the quality of services to youth with disabilities.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Women, Urban
Goal: The goal of IT'S TIME is to help women of child-bearing age quit smoking.
Impact: The IT'S TIME program succeeded in helping women quit smoking.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children, Teens, Adults, Families
Goal: The goal of iWalk is to encourage and support regular walking and exercise among Sonoma county residents.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Families, Urban
Goal: The goal of the Jacksonville Network for Strengthening Families program is to provide training, services, and support to Jacksonville families in an effort to increase prepared marriages, reduce divorce rates, and increase financial and emotional support of children by non-custodial parents.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Goal: The goal of the Jail Linkage Project is to connect the incarcerated population with health care screening and prevention services.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The Jamaica Service Program for Older Adults mission is "a total community working together to provide services to, and develop skills in, older adults in order to promote independence and enhance their quality of life."