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 Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Goal: The goals of this promising practice were to identify the transportation-disadvantaged population that lacks nonemergency medical care because of low access to transportation; determine the medical conditions that this population experiences and describe other characteristics of these individuals, including geography; estimate the cost of providing the transportation necessary for this population to obtain medical transportation according to various transportation service needs and trip modes; estimate the healthcare costs and benefits that would result if these individuals obtained transportation to non-emergency medical care for key healthcare conditions prevalent for this population; and compare the relative costs (from transportation and routine healthcare) and benefits (such as improved quality of life and better managed care, leading to less emergency care) to determine the cost-effectiveness of providing transportation for selected conditions.
Impact: These results show that adding relatively small transportation costs do not make a disease-specific, otherwise cost-effective environment non-cost-effective. Providing increased access to non-emergency medical care does improve quality of life and saves money per patient.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Teens
Goal: The goal of this program is to prevent suicide and reduce depression among high-school students.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Teens, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Families
Goal: Cradle Kansas City only has one goal, to close the health equity gap. By doing this, they will impact premature birth and infant and maternal mortality. They accomplish this through partnerships medical systems, resident-built strategies, and clear messaging that is aimed at systemic change.
Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Investment & Personal Finance, Adults, Urban
Goal: The mission of Credit Builders Alliance is to help low and moderate income individuals build their credit and access conventional financing.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation, Children, Teens, Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of Cycles of Change is to enable community members to use bicycles as a primary form of transportation through bicycle education and distribution programs.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Children, Teens
Goal: The goal of the D.C. Schoolyard Greening program is to increase and improve schoolyard green spaces in order to promote ecological literacy and environmental stewardship among students, teachers, parents and the community.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Rural
Goal: The goal of the interventions is to reduce the number of blacklegged ticks to ultimately reduce the incidence of Lyme disease.
Impact: The four-poster device was effective in decreasing erythema migrans (EM) rash incidence in an endemic area. The deer hunt did not have a significant effect on the incidence of EM rash, although the incidence did decrease.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: The goal of DfE is to facilitate the identification, adoption and innovation of clean products, processes, technologies, and management systems.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens, Families
Goal: The objectives of the program were to educate students, parents, and school staff about asthma management and to control exposure to factors that trigger asthma attacks.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Literacy, Teens, Families, Rural
Goal: Since late 1996 the Silver Valley Learning Center has been helping students with low reading levels improve literacy and achieve personal educational goals. By offering these services, the Silver Valley Learning Center hopes to enhance self-esteem and motivation for the adults in its community, which can hedge against depression and related problems such as alcohol abuse and domestic violence.