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 Local, Good Idea, Economy / Food Insecurity, Children, Teens, Adults, Women, Men, Older Adults, Families, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Rural
• Access to food that meets nutritional needs
• Preparing and serving meals that are nutritious
• Managing food-related resources, including WIC and SNAP
• Access to benefits available through other community agencies and services
• Increased knowledge about physical activity
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Cancer, Adults
The goal of this program is to improve colorectal cancer screening rates among older adults.
Participants in the intervention group had significantly higher colorectal cancer screening attendance, as well as having more positive attitudes about screening and placing a higher priority on screening.
Home Again: A Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County (Portland and Multnomah County, OR)
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Housing & Homes, Urban
The goal of this program is to end homelessness in the City of Portland and Multnomah County by 2015. As efforts to end homelessness continue, city and county officials will focus on nine actions. Programs throughout the county will address moving people into Housing First, ending the practice of discharging people into homelessness from jails and hospitals, improving outreach, emphasizing permanent solutions, increasing the housing supply, creating new partnerships, improving the rent assistance system, increasing economic opportunity for homeless people and implementing new data collection technology.
Filed under Effective Practice, Education / Student Performance K-12, Teens
The goals of the Open Meadow program are 1) to re-engage high risk youth so they will complete their education; and 2) to connect high risk youth to their community in a positive way.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children, Teens, Urban
The overriding treatment goal of Kartini Clinic is to secure lasting remission of eating disorder symptoms, allowing patients and their families to return to their own communities. Using a holistic approach, embracing medical as well as psychological and social interventions, patients are treated with the belief that parents do not cause eating disorders and children do not choose to have them.
Since 1998, Kartini Clinic has treated more than 2,000 patients and their families for a range of eating disorders.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Families, Urban
To increase equitable access to healthy food and strengthen communities by empowering neighbors to share in the harvest and care of city-grown produce.
Filed under Effective Practice, Economy, Adults, Urban
The program’s main focus was on moving welfare recipients quickly into the workforce.
There was a sizable increase in employment rates and job earnings, reduction in welfare dependency, and savings to the government.
Filed under Effective Practice, Community / Transportation, Urban
The goal of SmartTrips is to reduce drive-alone trips and increase biking, walking, and public transit in targeted areas of the city.
A Population Health Approach to Clinical Social Work with Complex Patients in Primary Care (Portland, Maine)
Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Other Conditions
Patients with the highest medical and social vulnerability require a population-specific social work intervention in primary care to achieve positive medical outcomes and to decrease inefficient use of services, especially inpatient admissions and ED visits.
The study exhibits promise in decreasing inpatient visits and cost. The evidence also supports population-specific social work interventions integrated in primary care.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Mental Health & Mental Disorders, Children, Teens
The goal of this program is to prevent depression and other mood disorders in adolescents.