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 / Older Adults, Older Adults
The goal of the Senior FarmShare program is to provide local farms with income and low-income seniors with food assistance.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Both local and state governments face huge challenges in providing senior populations access to public, agency, professional and family caregivers, and community services that allow seniors to remain independent. The complex maze of constantly changing program and service eligibility rules challenge even the most knowledgeable senior service providers. Fragmentation within senior service agencies further results in duplication of services, unnecessary waiting lists, and caregiver and volunteer burnout. This resource attempts to address those problems by providing quick and easy access to a variety of programs.
Filed under Good Idea, Environmental Health / Toxins & Contaminants
Septic systems serve approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population and about 40 percent of new developments. The U.S. Census Bureau has indicated that at least 10 percent of septic systems have stopped working. Some communities report failure rates as high as 70 percent! The goal of this program is to improve the performance of decentralized septic systems.
Filed under Effective Practice, Environmental Health / Air
The goal of the SF6 Emission Reduction Partnership for the Magnesium Industry is to eliminate SF6 emissions by 2010.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Adults
The goal of Shape Up & Go! is to encourage physical activity and improvements in nutrition.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Oral Health, Children, Families
The Smile Programs... the mobile dentists mission is to bring state-of-the-art, dental care to those students in need in the most comfortable and effective way possible.
Smile Programs provides mobile dental care to children in schools in over a dozen states.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Oral Health, Children, Women
The purpose of the "Something to Smile About" dental program is to improve dental outcomes for children in Garrett County, Maryland.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / School Environment, Children, Teens
The mission of the Sponsor-A-Mind® program is to supply underprivileged school children and classrooms in less affluent neighborhoods with the basic materials needed to exist and thrive in education.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Alcohol & Drug Use, Children, Teens
The goal of this program is for youths to postpone alcohol use until adulthood.
Filed under Good Idea, Community / Crime & Crime Prevention, Families
The goal of beautification and restoration projects is to restore neighborhoods and communities in order to prevent criminal activity and encourage community engagement.