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 Good Idea, Health / Cancer
Goal: The mission of Gilda's Club is to provide places where men, women, and children with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build social and emotional support as a supplement to medical care.
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Children's Health, Children, Racial/Ethnic Minorities
Goal: The goal of Hip-Hop to Health Jr is to reduce gains in BMI in preschool minority children.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Health Care Access & Quality, Rural
Goal: The mission of Project ECHO is to develop the capacity to safely and
effectively treat chronic, common, and complex diseases in rural and
underserved areas, and to monitor outcomes of this treatment.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Respiratory Diseases
Goal: Respiratory Health Association's mission is to promote healthy lungs and fight lung disease through research, advocacy and education.
Impact: Respiratory Health Association provides ongoing education, research funding, and advocacy for respiratory health. The program also partners with organizations that work with underserved populations to reduce tobacco use.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Social Environment, Children, Teens, Adults, Older Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: ReWired for Change works to empower at risk youth and families living in under-served communities through education, media and social advocacy, and intergenerational programming.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Transportation, Children, Teens, Adults, Families, Urban
Goal: The project's mission is to encourage car free, carefree travel to and around Santa Barbara for cleaner air and a healthier planet.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Built Environment
Goal: Smart Growth has three straightforward goals:
- to save our most valuable remaining natural resources before they are forever lost,
- to support existing communities and neighborhoods by targeting state resources to support development in areas where the infrastructure is already in place or planned to support it, and
- to save taxpayers millions of dollars in the unnecessary cost of building the infrastructure required to support sprawl.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Goal: TLD's mission is to increase the supply and use of affordable building materials for housing and community improvement by redirecting landfill-bound, reusable materials into productive use.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Community & Business Resources, Children, Teens, Adults, Older Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
Goal: The Thoreau Community Center provides resources and special programs focused on health/well-being, education, and recreation in order to inspire hope, joy, and progress within Thoreau and neighboring communities.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Social Environment, Children, Teens, Urban
Goal: Community Memorial Foundation's goal was two-fold: to decrease stigma surrounding youth depression and suicide and increase teen utilization of the Crisis Text Line.
Impact: An awareness campaign that incorporates age- and culturally-appropriate actors through various media can successfully increase teen and adolescent usage of a crisis text hotline.