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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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Truant Recovery Program (Richmond, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens, Urban

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce truancy in West Contra Costa schools.

Twin Cities RISE! (Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN)

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment, Adults, Urban

Goal: The mission of Twin Cities RISE! is to provide employers with skilled workers - primarily men from communities of color in the Twin Cities area - by training under and unemployed adults for skilled jobs that pay a living wage of at least $20,000 annually.

Unite for Sight Eyeglass Drives

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

Goal: The goal of this program is to provide eyeglasses to people in developing countries and to involve students in improving conditions in developing countries.

Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter (New York, NY)

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

Goal: The goals of Uniting for Solutions Beyond Shelter are:
- To reduce street homelessness and the shelter population by two-thirds in five years.
- To eliminate chronic, or long-term, homelessness on City streets and shelters in five years.

The plan's objectives include initiatives to better serve individuals and families who are at-risk of homelessness or who become homeless, as well as ensure that the City and its citizens are maximizing public resources. The plan has nine points - encompassing 60 initiatives - that seek to:

- Overcome street homelessness
- Prevent homelessness
- Coordinate discharge planning
- Coordinate city services and benefits
- Minimize disruption to homeless families and children
- Minimize duration of homelessness
- Shift resources into preferred solutions
- Provide resources for vulnerable populations to access and afford housing
- Measure progress, evaluate success, and invest in continuous quality improvement.

Urban Improv (Boston, MA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Art & Recreation / Theater & Movies, Children, Urban

Goal: Urban Improv’s mission is to challenge young people to meet the major issues in their lives head-on. By participating in an innovative, interactive curriculum, students develop the necessary skills of problem solving, cooperation, and leadership.

Urban Women Against Substance Abuse (Hartford, CT)

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Women

Goal: The goal of UWASA is to teach girls to build their cultural and gender identity, discourage alcohol and drug use, promote HIV awareness, and explore possible career options.

Vaccination Programs: Community-Based Interventions Implemented in Combination

CDC

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases

Impact: The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends using a combination of community-based interventions to increase vaccination rates in targeted populations.
Interventions may aim to increase community demand, enhance access to vaccination services, or reduce missed opportunities by vaccination providers.

Vaccination Programs: Health Care System-Based Interventions Implemented in Combination

CDC

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases

Impact: The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends using a combination of health care system-based interventions to increase vaccination rates in targeted populations.

Vandenberg AFB QRP Exceeds 90% Diversion Rate (Santa Barbara County, CA)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce waste and encourage recycling at Vandenberg AFB.

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.
Greater Hampton Roads