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 / Health Care Access & Quality
Goal: The purpose is to inform the public of the agency mission, garner support for services and funding and to create volunteer and donation opportunities.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of this tool is to improve patient care for older adults by helping nurses to evaluate common conditions.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Adolescent Health, Teens, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: To assist homeless transition-aged youth in building the skills necessary to secure and flourish in a stable and independent living situation.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Diabetes, Adults, Families
Goal: The goal of this program is to combat high obesity rates, pre-diabetes, and diabetes by providing fresh, healthy food to those most in need.
Impact: The Fresh Food Farmacy has positively impacted the lives of nearly 600 individuals. Patients are seeing significant HBA1C improvements, are better able to manage their diabetes with fewer complications, and several participants have been able to reduce or even eliminate their diabetes medications.
Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Older Adults, Older Adults
Goal: The goal of the GRACE model is to increase quality of care for low-income seniors.
Impact: The GRACE model has been shown to improve quality of care and health outcomes in low-income seniors.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases, Children
Goal: The overall objective of the program is to reduce student absence due to communicable illness.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Adults, Families
Goal: The contest is designed as a fun way for community members to get more exercise, with a target of 30 minutes or more of physical activity per day.
Filed under Good Idea, Health / Physical Activity, Children
Goal: The goal of this program is to encourage Tulsa children to increase physical activity and learn to make better food choices.
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 Good Idea, Health / Wellness & Lifestyle, Adults, Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Urban
Goal: Global Gardens aims to increase household access to affordable fresh vegetables among newly resettled refugee individuals living in the Historic Northeast of Kansas City, Missouri. Program participants are provided use of land, water, seeds, and plant starts at community gardening sites in the Lykins and Indian Mound neighborhoods, maintained by Global Gardens staff.
During the course of the program, growers receive ongoing education and support from staff and interpreters, reducing language and cultural barriers that have historically limited refugee access to community gardening engagement. The Global Gardens curriculum focuses on increasing refugee growers’ skills in community and household gardening, utilizing a garden-based learning theory of education, and implementing participatory, learner-centered assessment techniques. The curriculum empowers growers to take the lead in their learning experience and increase connection to and responsibility for their physical environment.
Additionally, Global Gardens aims to increase participant knowledge of how to access local community gardening resources in Kansas City. Each growing season, participants are connected to Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG), a non-profit that seeks to assist low-income households to produce vegetables from garden plots in backyards and community sites. Global Gardens participants receive membership information and introduction to the seed and plant ordering process, and practice using this resource during the course of the program, building individual self-sufficiency in navigating the process, and increasing likelihood of utilizing KCCG in future.