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, Economy / Poverty, Families, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program was to help poor families build up their “human capital” and avoid long-term poverty.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Families, Urban
Goal: To prepare children of disadvantaged families for academic success and to strengthen families through intensive home visiting.
Impact: The Parent-Child Home Program builds school readiness, starting from the home. PCHP utilizes a non-directive, in-home modeling approach that encourages children's development, builds meaningful relationships between parents and children, and allows underserved families to access educational early-childhood services.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Goal: The Goal of this Promising Practice is to determine whether a tailored community health worker (CHW) intervention would improve post-hospital outcomes among low-SES patients.
Impact: This intervention would improve access to primary care and quality of discharge while controlling recurrent readmissions in a high-risk population. Health systems may leverage the CHW workforce to improve post-hospital outcomes by addressing behavioral and socioeconomic drivers of disease.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults, Rural
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve communication between providers and patients about colorectal cancer screening.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Urban
Goal: The goal of the PATH Program is to improve knowledge of cardiovascular health and reduce risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goals of this project are:
- to increase knowledge of nutrition among Hispanic elders who are at risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity;
- to foster behavior change through group sessions and interactive activities; and
- to test whether the American Heart Association guidelines and materials can be utilized in a dietitian led model targeted to Hispanic elders.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: PACE provides comprehensive medical and social services to certain frail, elderly people (participants) still living in the community. Most of the participants who are in PACE are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
Impact: Key research findings demonstrate PACE effectiveness in delivering gold-standard care for older adults and its approach can be a model for others looking to improve the health care system.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Rural
Goal: The goal of the Farm Safety Day Camp is to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for children through education and training.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goal of Project CAFE is to identify ways to increase access and availability of healthy foods in Los Angeles neighborhoods in order to decrease obesity and diabetes.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Women
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women with substance abuse problems and their infants.
Impact: Improvement in birth weight and gestational age, and reduction in admittance to neonatal intensive care unit and positive infant toxicology screens.