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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.

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Maine Juvenile Drug Treatment Court (Maine)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Teens

Goal: The goal of this program is to improve the quality of juvenile justice in Maine through timely and effective substance abuse, social services, and juvenile justice interventions.

Metropolitan Housing and CDC (MHCDC) (North Carolina)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Rural

Goal: The mission of this program is to improve the quality of life for low-income persons through systematic and sustainable community development efforts.

Michigan Diabetes Outreach Network (MDON) (Michigan)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Diabetes

Goal: The goal of the network is to improve care and health outcomes for patients with diabetes.

New York's Facilitated Enrollers for Health Insurance (New York)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Families

Goal: The goal of this program is to help New York families apply for public health care programs.

Nia: A Program of Purpose (Atlanta, GA)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Men, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: The goal of Nia is to educate African American men about HIV/AIDS and reduce risky sexual behaviors.

Parenting Partnership

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Families, Urban

Goal: The primary goals of the program are to reduce family risk and enhance family protective factors that predispose children and youth to substance abuse and related social and emotional difficulties.

Philadelphia Youth Violence Reduction (Philadelphia, PA)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Teens, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce Philadelphia's homicide rate and put violent youthful offenders on the path toward a productive majority.

Planning for Elders in the Central City (San Francisco, CA)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Housing & Homes, Older Adults, Urban

Goal: The goal of Planning for Elders in the Central City is to improve the quality of life of seniors, adults wtih disabilties and care providers in San Francisco and beyond through community organizations, advocacy and education activities.

Project A.S.K. (Adolescents Seeking Knowledge) (Nashville, TN)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens

Goal: Project A.S.K. seeks to raise youth self-efficacy, improve knowledge of health issues, highlight math and science concepts tested in school, build leadership qualities, and improve the sense of community.

Project DIRECT (Diabetes Interventions Reaching and Educating Communities Together) (Raleigh, NC)

Note: This practice has been Archived.

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Diabetes, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

Goal: The goal of Project DIRECT is to improve diabetes prevention and care among African Americans in Raleigh, NC.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.