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 Good Idea, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Adults, Urban
The mission of Community United Against Violence is to prevent and respond to violence against and within LGBTQQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning) communities.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Other Conditions
The goal of this study was to determine the effect Community Health Worker programs have on healthcare spending.
The studies show that CHW programs can help reduce emergency department visits and hospital use.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The mission of PUSH Buffalo is to mobilize residents to create strong neighborhoods with quality, affordable housing; to expand local hiring opportunities; and to advance economic and environmental justice in Buffalo.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer
The goal of this program is to understand and address cancer in a more effective way.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The goal of the program is to increase awareness of screening for sexually transmitted infections in African-American adolescents.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children, Teens, Adults, Women, Men, Families, Urban
The goal of Kinship Connections is to support kin families' social, emotional, and economic needs to increase placement stability within the child’s community. Specific program objectives are to improve family economic security, family relationship functioning, child well-being, and to increase kin caregiver social support.
1Center on the Developing Child. (2007). The impact of early adversity on children’s development (InBrief). Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/ resources/inbrief-the-impact-of-early-adversity-onchildrens-development.
2 Generations United. (2017). In loving arms: The protective role of grandparents and other relatives in raising children exposed to trauma. Retrieved from https://dl2.pushbulletusercontent.com/ uhDY7UgdGYnOod6G7VFkdKnuzE3yALmr/17- InLovingArms-Grandfamilies.pdf.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Diabetes, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The National Diabetes Prevention Program encourages collaboration among federal agencies, community-based organizations, employers, insurers, health care professionals, academia, and other stakeholders to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes among people with prediabetes in the United States.
The National Diabetes Prevention Program is a cost-effective method to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among individuals with prediabetes.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes
Evidence shows Housing First programs decrease homelessness, increase housing stability, and improve quality of life for homeless persons living with disabling conditions, including those with HIV infection. For clients living with HIV infection, these programs also improve clinical indicators and mental health and reduce mortality. Housing First programs also lead to reduced hospitalization and use of emergency departments for homeless persons with disabling conditions, including HIV infection.
The CPSTF finds the economic benefits exceed the intervention cost for Housing First Programs in the United States. Because homelessness is associated with lower income and is more common among racial and ethnic minority populations, Housing First Programs are likely to advance health equity.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Abriendo Puertas, developed for and by Latino parents, aims to increase the number of Latino children in the United States that enter school ready to learn and be able to succeed in life by building the capacity and confidence of parents to be strong advocates in the lives of their children.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens, Urban
ASSIST aims to develop a diverse group consisting of young people that will then influence their peers to defy the idea of smoking thus reducing the number of adolescent smokers and reducing its health effects.
A peer-led intervention reduced smoking among adolescents at a modest cost: the ASSIST program cost of £32 ($42 USD) (95% CI = £29.70–£33.80) per student. The incremental cost per student not smoking at 2 years was £1,500 ($1984 USD) (95% CI = £669–£9,947).