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, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Families
Goal: The goal of this program is to help preschool children learn emotional self-regulation and facilitate their psychosocial development.
Impact: The Early HeartSmarts program was effective in increasing children’s social/emotional, physical, cognitive and language development in a classroom setting.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Education / Educational Attainment, Adults
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve outcomes among Community College students who are on academic probation.
Impact: Enhanced Opening Doors helps low-income students earn college credentials as the pathway to better jobs and further education.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Public Safety, Teens
Goal: The goal of TADRA is to reduce fatal crashes among teenage drivers.
Impact: After the implementation of TADRA, speed-related fatal crashes were cut by 42%, and alcohol-related fatal crashes decreased nearly 60%.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Older Adults, Rural
Goal: To provide transportation to patients in South Central Missouri who otherwise have non-existent, limited, or expensive transportation options to and from healthcare appointments.
Impact: HealthTran has helped to improve healthcare access and long-term health outcomes, as well as reduced preventable hospitalizations and unnecessary emergency department visits.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Families, Rural
Goal: Healthy Homes/Healthy Families aims to help rural residents of Southwest Georgia make healthy behavior changes.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
Goal: The mission of this program is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by alcohol and other drug use through treatment, education, and research.
Impact: Matrix participants were 38% more likely to stay in treatment and 27% more likely to complete treatment compared to nonparticipants. Stimulant drug-use indicators were significantly reduced during treatment for Matrix participants. They also produced more drug-free urine samples compared to nonparticipants.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The Minority AIDS Project's mission is to reduce suffering and deaths due to HIV infection in the African-American and Latino communities by making HIV/AIDS education and related health services available and accessible.
Impact: The Minority AIDS Project provides services and outreach efforts to predominantly African-American and Latino individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the underserved communities of Central and South Central Los Angeles.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: The goal of this program is to maintain and restore water quality in the face of threats and impairments caused by nonpoint source pollution.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
Goal: The goal of POWER is to promote weight loss and glycemic control among individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes living in rural communities.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Educational Attainment
Goal: To provide a freely-available source of public health expertise in which seasoned professionals can share their wealth of professional expertise with those interested in learning about Public Health and potential career options.