Skip to main content

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
(39 results)

Ranking
Featured
Primary Target Audience
Topics and Subtopics
Geographic Type

Local

Filed under Local, Good Idea, Health / Alternative Medicine, Older Adults

Goal: HeartStrings aims to enhance the quality of life for individuals with special needs. Through regularly-recurring, interactive sessions, the MSO’s Rhapsodie Quartet addresses the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of hundreds of individuals each year in a comfortable and familiar setting.

HeartStrings mission statement is as follows:

1) To enhance the quality of life of underserved populations through live, interactive, and exceptional quality musical experiences that are informed by the American Music Therapy Association’s Standards of Practice.

2) To bring meaningful arts experiences directly to participants in a comfortable and
familiar setting.

3) To provide a valuable resource for facilities that serve aging populations, adults with dementia, and individuals with disabilities, or long-term illnesses.

Impact: HeartStrings has reached over 3,200 individuals with disabilities, long-term illness, and assisted-living needs, as well as aging adults with dementia since its start in 2006.

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Disabilities, Adults

Goal: The program's goal was to eliminate the waiting period for access to health care benefits for newly entitled SSDI beneficiaries, and see if this investment has long-term benefits.

Impact: The AB Demonstration project successfully increased the use of health care services and reduced the reported unmet health care needs of participants in the program.

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Health / Older Adults, Adults, Older Adults, Urban

Goal: CAPABLE is a 5-month structured home visit program delivered by an occupational therapist (OT), a registered nurse (RN), and a handyman to improve daily function in older adults and to lower the monthly average Medicaid expenditure and likelihood of costly healthcare services.

Impact: This study demonstrates that home visit programs can improve the daily quality of life in aging adults. Additionally, they can lead to a reduction in Medicaid expenditures via lower inpatient costs and lower long-term care costs.

Filed under Evidence-Based Practice, Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education, Children, Rural

Goal: The goal of ELSB is to help moderately to severely disabled children develop the skills and behaviors they need to succeed in a standard reading program.

Impact: ELSB demonstrates that reading skills curriculum adapted to alternative instructional needs of cognitively disabled children can more effectively improve literacy as compared to sight-word-only programs.

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

Goal: The goal of the training program is to provide skills essential for the daily management of stroke survivors.

Filed under Good Idea, Economy / Employment, Adults

Goal: Aspiritech's mission is to provide a path for high-functioning individuals on the autism spectrum to realize their potential through meaningful employment.

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

Goal: The goal of Babies Can't Wait is to guarantee access to early intervention services for infants and toddlers with special needs.

Filed under Effective Practice, Health / Disabilities, Children, Teens

Goal: The mission of this program is to stabilize students, help them earn their high school diploma, and prepare them for a future as productive workers.

Filed under Good Idea, Health / Children's Health, Children, Families

Goal: Children's Village seeks to connect children with special needs and their families with supportive services.

Filed under Effective Practice, Economy / Employment, Children

Goal: The goal of the DO-IT Scholars Program is to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers. Its mission is to promote the use of computing and networking technologies to increase independence, productivity, and participation in education and employment.