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, Health / Other Conditions, Women
Goal: The goal of this program is to provide low-income, under- or uninsured women with the knowledge and skills to prevent and control heart disease and other chronic diseases.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Urban
Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce the negative impact of alcohol abuse on campus life by correcting students' perceptions about alcohol use and by making the campus less conducive to drinking.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults, Urban
Goal: The overall program goal is the maintenance of a physically active lifestyle, in order to optimize one's functional capacity and ability to perform daily activities. In order to achieve this goal, the following impact objectives were established:
- Enhance enjoyment and participation in a variety of physical activities
- Develop and enhance the skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy needed to
establish and maintain an active lifestyle
- Ensure the affordability and accessibility of the program
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Social Environment, Children
Goal: The program's five main goals are to (1) foster a safe, supportive group environment; (2) facilitate the identification and expression of divorce-related feelings; (3) promote understanding of divorce-related concepts and clarify misconceptions; (4) teach effective coping and interpersonal skills; and (5) enhance positive perceptions of self and family.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children
Goal: The goal of this program is to improve school performance through reciprocal peer tutoring.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Air
Goal: The goal of Climate Leaders is to aid companies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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 / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of the program is to decrease African American infant mortality through raising awareness of racial health disparities, encouraging safe and healthy lifestyle practices, and providing correct perinatal health education.
Filed under Good Idea, Education / Educational Attainment, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: The goal of the Employment Training Center is to provide at-risk, low-income youth and young adults with training in the green construction field in order to help them gain vital life and employment skills and achieve self-sufficiency.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Children, Adults, Families, Urban
Goal: The goals of Engage DuPage include improving the health status of self-pay Emergency Department patients, increasing the revenue appropriately owed to hospitals for services rendered, improving the financial assistance processes involving self-pay Emergency Department patients, and reducing the number of avoidable Emergency Department visits among self-pay patients.
Impact: By the end of 2014, 57% of all benefit applications that were submitted were approved. In addition, 29% of all interested patients were connected to a primary care provider through a Community Access Specialist.