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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.

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Brooklyn GreenBridge (Brooklyn, NY)

Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment, Urban

Goal: Working with block associations, community gardens, community centers, and other groups, Brooklyn GreenBridge promotes conservation and community through gardening activities.

BuckleUpBoston! Child Passenger Safety Program (Boston, MA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families

Goal: The goal of BUB is to increase awareness about CPS and usage rates of seats amongst low-income families in the city of Boston.

Building Bridges (Mississippi)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Adults

Goal: Building Bridges has the overall mission of providing education, training, services, advocacy, and promoting the rights and dignity of individuals infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Impact: Building Bridges provides free HIV testing, prevention case management, individual and group counseling, and referrals for additional needed services.

Building Tulsa, Building Lives (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Adults, Urban

Goal: Building Tulsa, Building Lives aims to end chronic homelessness in the city of Tulsa within five years (2007-2012) by creating sustainable, supportive housing through a public-private partnership of government agencies, philanthropic organizations, faith-based organizations and local communities.

California Healthy Start (California)

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.

California Smoker’s Hotline (California)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Adults, Families

Goal: The Hotline’s goal is to help individuals and families quite smoking.

Cambridge-Somerville Healthy Homes Project (Cambridge and Somerville, MA)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Respiratory Diseases, Children, Urban

Goal: The goal of the Cambridge-Somerville Healthy Homes Project is to lower the frequency of asthma attacks in children and help families make their homes safer.

CAMINOS (San Francisco, CA)

Filed under Good Idea, Education / Educational Attainment, Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban

Goal: The goal of CAMINOS is to help low-income, Latina immigrants create opportunities for self and economic improvement by teaching them how to use technology.

Cardiovascular Risk Management by Community Pharmacists (Iowa)

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Prevention & Safety, Adults, Rural

Goal: The goal of the Cardiovascular Risk Management by Community Pharmacists program is to reduce cardiovascular risk factors through pharmacist provided case management.

Caring Bear Picnic (Arenac County, MI)

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families, Rural

Goal: The mission of the Caring Bear Picnic is to educate children and parents on how to live healthy lifestyles through hands-on activities.

Impact: For over 30 years, the Caring Bear Picnic has educated children and parents on how to live healthy lifestyles through hands-on activities.

An Effective Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.

An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance