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 Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens
The goal of the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach is to help adolescents recover from alcohol and drug addiction.
Results from studies on this treatment program demonstrate that there can be superior engagement, retention, and short-term substance use outcomes for those in the A-CRA and ACC approaches compared to UCC. The ACC protocol can also result in significantly more patients linking to continuing care.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Teens, Urban
The goal of Adolescents Living Safely is to prevent HIV infection and AIDS among runaway adolescents.
Adolescents Living Safely changes youth sexual behavior to reduce transmission of HIV among runaways.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Literacy
ALMA’s mission is to help adults gain basic reading, writing, and math skills they need to achieve their educational, career, and personal goals.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Urban
The goal of the program is to teach parents/caregivers effective parenting skills, create a support system for their children, and equip participants with non-violent techniques to encourage a safe environment at home and in the community.
ACT program has been shown to prevent child maltreatment and promote positive parenting skills, including reducing physical violence towards children, improving knowledge of appropriate discipline, and improving parent methods for teaching children nonviolent social skills.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Diabetes, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
The goal of Advancing Diabetes Self Management at La Clinica de La Raza was to improve health outcomes of those suffering from type 2 diabetes.
Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Housing & Homes
The mission of AHC is twofold: to preserve the supply of affordable housing in the mid-Atlantic region, especially Northern Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland; and to ensure that properties developed or owned by AHC enhance the quality of life in the neighborhoods where they are located.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children, Women, Urban
The mission of Sheffield Place is "to empower homeless mothers and their children to heal from their trauma and help them become self-sufficient." The goal of the Aftercare program is to provide continuing supportive services once the families have transitioned from the residential program to permanent housing in the community. In this way, the families receive the support they need to maintain or increase income, maintain or improve mental health functioning, and maintain permanent housing.
This program provides vital supportive services for formerly-homeless families in recovery. Sheffield Place grew from serving just 20 families in 2010 to serving 132 families in 2017 (102 in residential and 30 in aftercare).
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use
The goal of this program is to involve community partners in reviewing individual deaths, generating recommendations for improved community collaboration, and initiating new practices.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Cancer
The American Brain Tumor Association exists to eliminate brain tumors through research and to meet the needs of brain tumor patients and their families.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens
To reduce the number of older adolescents who progress to established smoking.
The television component of the Massachusetts antismoking media campaign may have reduced the rate of progression to established smoking among young adolescents.