Skip to main content
Copy URL

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.

Submit a Promising Practice

Search Filters Clear all
(2006 results)

Ranking
Featured
Primary Target Audience
Topics and Subtopics
Geographic Type

CDC

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Adults

Impact: Studies found a median increase of 21.0 percentage points in vaccination coverage among participants.

CDC

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Men's Health, Men

Goal: The goal of the HIV behavioral interventions program is to reduce unprotected anal intercourse among men who have sex with men.

Impact: The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends individual-level HIV behavioral interventions for adult men who have sex with men to reduce unprotected anal intercourse. Related findings recommend HIV behavioral interventions at the group level and community level.

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Maternal, Fetal & Infant Health, Families

Goal: The purpose of the Community Supporting Breastfeeding (CSB) designation program is to create a culture of breastfeeding support in communities, ultimately increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates and the health and well-being of families.

The CSB program’s immediate goals are to increase positive perceptions toward breastfeeding, increase the availability of breastfeeding resources, and reduce barriers experienced in the community by women of child-bearing age. The long-term goal of the project is to increase exclusive breastfeeding rates through a sustainable model of cross-sector support for breastfeeding.

The project also effectively addresses the racial and socioeconomic disparities in breastfeeding rates. The Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition’s collective impact approach supports efforts of those serving African-American and lower income women. As a result of this project, these organizations receive the support they need to increase their impact when they become aligned with other, larger organizations working toward similar goals, creating a synergy across groups working on breastfeeding support.

Impact: Based on results from our evaluation, along with improved exclusive breastfeeding rates in the majority of the communities that could be associated with the CSB criteria, we believe the CSB program is impactful.

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

Goal: To reduce the number of heroin overdose deaths in the community and to provide immediate peer support to those in crisis.

Impact: COAT peers counselors are able to provide immediate response and support to help individuals achieve long-term recovery.

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use

Goal: The goal of this program is to reduce high-risk drinking behaviors.

Impact: Studies demonstrate that the program resulted in decreases in substance use and behaviors related to risk factors. Participants had significant reductions in drinking quantities, variances in drinking quantities, rates of driving when having had too much to drink, and rates of driving over the legal limits relative to nonparticipants. There was also a significant decrease in the number of nighttime crashes per month and the monthly rates of driving under the influence (DUI) crashes.

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Heart Disease & Stroke, Adults

Goal: The goal of this program is to increase knowledge of stroke, encourage self-monitoring, and maintain healthy lifestyle changes to prevent secondary stroke.

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders

Goal: The goal of the Critical Time Intervention is to prevent homelessness among people with severe mental illness.

Impact: Evaluations of this program have found sizable reductions (24-67%) in average number of nights spent homeless over the 18-month follow-up period and more than a 60% reduction in likelihood of being homeless in the final weeks of the 18-month follow-up. Cost offsets and savings have been shown.