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, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children, Teens
The goal of See You in School is to improve the grades, self confidence and engagement of high school students through mentor/mentee relationships. Decreasing the dropout rates in Whatcom County is a long term goal that begins with the mentor/mentee relationship and a network inside the schools.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Septic systems serve approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population and about 40 percent of new developments. The U.S. Census Bureau has indicated that at least 10 percent of septic systems have stopped working. Some communities report failure rates as high as 70 percent! The goal of this program is to improve the performance of decentralized septic systems.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Children, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The objectives are to increase knowledge of SIDS risk reduction strategies, including sleep position and roomsharing without bedsharing.
A 15-minute educational session with small groups of parents is effective in informing parents about the importance of safe sleep position and in changing parent behavior for at least the first 6 months of the infant's life.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment
- to save our most valuable remaining natural resources before they are forever lost,
- to support existing communities and neighborhoods by targeting state resources to support development in areas where the infrastructure is already in place or planned to support it, and
- to save taxpayers millions of dollars in the unnecessary cost of building the infrastructure required to support sprawl.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Urban
The program aims to increase the consumption of local, healthy fruits and vegetables in SNAP participants.
Filed under Effective Practice, Art & Recreation / Sports Recreation & Parks, Families
The purpose of the initiative is to construct a complete sidewalk loop throughout the City of Erlanger in order to promote physical activity.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Prevention & Safety, Older Adults
Stepping On aims to reduce the prevalence of falls among older adults. Falls are not a normal part of aging and the risk and/or prevalence of falls may be decreased by taking certain steps, including vision checks, medication management, strength & balance exercises, and home safety checks. Falls and/or the fear of falling often lead to a loss of independence.
This evidence-based program demonstrated a 31% reduction in falls among participants in an Australian trial. It reached a 50% reduction in falls among participants in a U.S. workshop.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
The goal of the program is to promote health and prevent injury among seniors through a series of community-based strength training classes.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Adults, Urban
The goal of STRIVE is to reduce risky injection practices among injection drug users with an HCV infection.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Children
The goal of this program is to help all students achieve academic success at the highest levels.
Results suggest that students in the Success for All schools were achieving at significantly higher levels on three of the four reading outcomes as measured by the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test Revised (WRMT-R).