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.
Addressing the Social Determinants of Health through the Alameda County, California, Place Matters Policy Initiative (Alameda County, CA)
Filed under Good Idea, Health, Urban
Goal: The goal of the Place Matters initiative is to improve the health of participating communities by “addressing social conditions that lead to poor health” through “identifying the complex root causes of health disparities and defining strategies to address them.”
Impact: AC Place Matters has identified 10 best practices that could help other programs address social determinants of health: find and foster strong leadership, dedicate staff resources to the work, engage staff from across the local health department, contribute to building grassroots power, address root causes, partner with community organizations and leaders, partner with government institutions across sectors, work reactively and proactively, build capacity, and use tools that ensure a focus on health equity.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Wellness & Lifestyle
Goal: To increase quality of life and longevity among members of a community through community-wide interventions which address community, social network, habitat, and inner self.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: California Healthy Start's mission is to provide comprehensive services that support the wide variety of needs of children and further student learning.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Prevention & Safety, Children, Urban
Goal: The goal of CAN DO Houston is to prevent childhood obesity in the Houston area by facilitating programs that encourage good nutrition, physical activity, and healthy minds.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: Children's Village seeks to connect children with special needs and their families with supportive services.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment
Goal: The goal of the Community Greenspace program is to restore and revitalize urban neighborhoods by helping residents create greenspace in their communities.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: The Congenital Heart Disease Screening Program values early diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) with a goal of making screening for CHD a standard practice for all newborns.
Impact: The physicians at Children's National in the National Heart Institute created a toolkit that nurseries may use to start a screening program to improve detection of serious CHD.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Environmental Justice, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goal of the Environmental Health Leadership Training is to inform and empower the predominately low income people of three urban communities in Northern Manhattan (Central Harlem, West Harlem, and Washington Heights) to improve their capacity to organize for community environmental health and justice in New York City. The long term goal of these efforts is to help intervene and reduce exposure to environmental toxicants which are adversely affecting the health of disadvantaged, medically underserved, predominantly African American and Latino populations in Northern Manhattan.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: The goal of Family Friends is to offer support to families who are raising children with developmental disabilities or special needs.