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 Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Air
Goal: The goal of this program is to increase the amount of reliable air quality data that is available to the public in Harris County.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Adults, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to educate during every visit, to assist patients in developing a longitudinal personal record of medical history and care plans, and to provide a tangible way to engage patients in their own care. The overarching goal was better compliance, recognition of medication side effects, and improved adherence to specific and agreed upon lifestyle changes.
Impact: Sixty percent of patients participate in care plan tracking with a health notebook, and 80% percent of patients complete a prep form to help organize visits.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of the Healthy Communities Walking Program is to reduce the occurrence of preventable chronic diseases, especially those associated with being overweight, by assisting participants in setting up exercise regimes and encouraging healthy eating.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Women, Families, Rural
Goal: The overall goal of Healthy Futures is to improve community health by ensuring access to health care and community resources for pregnant women and young children in the region.
Impact: In 2012, over 3,500 contacts, 970 home visits, and 30,000 educational mailings were delivered. Of those who initiated breastfeeding at birth, 67% of enrolled infants are still breastfeeding at eight weeks post-partum. Eighty-three percent of enrolled two-year-old children are fully immunized.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Oral Health, Children, Teens, Urban
Goal: The project goal of Healthy Kids Dental was to increase utilization of dental care by Medicaid enrollees through a contract with a commercial dental plan.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Teens, Families, Urban
Goal: The mission of HKES&I is to increase access to needed healthcare for children. This is accomplished through the goal of identifying children who need further follow-up, particularly for hearing and vision problems, and to connect them to those services.
Impact: Healthy Kids Express Screening and Immunization program is successful in providing evidence based care to low-income populations and for connecting those identified with screening needs to needed follow-up care.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Urban
Goal: Improve early identification of concerns and initiate interventions to improve the health, development and emotional wellness of children, newborn to age three.
Impact: HSFYC parents were less likely to use severe discipline (OR: 0.68) and more likely to negotiate with their child (OR: 1.20). HSFYC parents had greater odds of reporting a clinical or borderline concern regarding their child's behavior (OR: 1.35).
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children
Goal: The goal of HeartPower! is to increase knowledge of the heart and heart disease risk factors.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families
Goal: The program’s goal is to identify children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems and to connect them to existing community resources.
Home Again: A Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County (Portland and Multnomah County, OR)
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to end homelessness in the City of Portland and Multnomah County by 2015. As efforts to end homelessness continue, city and county officials will focus on nine actions. Programs throughout the county will address moving people into Housing First, ending the practice of discharging people into homelessness from jails and hospitals, improving outreach, emphasizing permanent solutions, increasing the housing supply, creating new partnerships, improving the rent assistance system, increasing economic opportunity for homeless people and implementing new data collection technology.