Find Resources
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Case Study
Health equity zones aim to eliminate health disparities and promote healthy communities. To create these zones, the Rhode Island Department of Health leveraged various federal, state, and local funding sources. This article describes the program, outcomes and impacts, and advice for local health departments seeking to replicate this model.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations, White Paper/Brief
Community fridges were popularized in the US during the Covid-19 pandemic: community fridge database Freedge showed 12 US fridges in March 2020, and 160 by February 2021. These fridges are open 24/7 and anyone can access them, freely taking or leaving fresh food. Fridges are tailored to the needs of the neighborhood, and operate either more informally among community members, or with 501(c)(3) status and donation partnerships with local grocery stores or organizations. The fridges have been anecdotally successful in increasing food access while complying with Covid safety protocols.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
This report represents a landscape review of community-level efforts to address SDOH, followed by interviews with participants in three community-level initiatives that have built networks to coordinate clinical and social services. This report presents a cross-site analysis of the three initiatives, highlighting factors they identified as facilitating their efforts, the challenges they faced, their plans for continued expansion, and opportunities for federal and state entities, among other actors, to contribute.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Case Study, Key Informant Interview
This case study discusses how Hawaii’s Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) partnered with state housing services to organize isolation and quarantine services for people experiencing homelessness. This department also focused on substance use disorder and mental illness, so they worked to build partnerships with treatment centers that individuals could enter after quarantine. The BHA has also focused on braiding funding sources between substance use disorder and homelessness efforts to provide more wraparound services and combat the siloization of different departments.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
1: Ensure federal child care relief funds reach individual early care and education staff in the form of direct cash payments. 2: Ensure health coverage and guaranteed paid leave of at least two weeks for all staff working in regulated early care and education programs. 3: Adjust eligibility requirements for public safety net programs utilized by early childhood personnel until the period when all state ARPA funds related to child care are liquidated. 4: Prioritize equitable distribution of funding to programs located in communities with the most need, which have been impacted most acutely by this pandemic. 5: Improve systems administration and technical assistance to facilitate accessible, simple application processes. 6: Establish essential, yet simple data collection protocols to examine the utilization and impact of ARPA funding in order to inform future policies and resource allocation. 7: Prohibit the use of quality ratings as a determining factor for eligibility to receive ARPA funds or to condition levels of payment.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Case Study
This paper describes how a local public health agency joined a multi-sector community partnership made up of community-based organizations, clinical providers, and peer navigators and others with lived experience of homelessness. Together, this group created a strategic plan to lessen the impact of COVID-19 on people experiencing homelessness. They prioritized education, increased resource allocation and testing in shelters, and slated housing for those who tested positive or those at increased risk of COVID complications. Most of this work took place in shelters.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Case Study
This case study describes how the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has partnered with a wide range of community-based organizations to ensure food security. Before the pandemic, these partners worked together to change policies related to food security, while, during the pandemic, this partnership allowed communities to quickly provide emergency food distribution. Through this network, the department and communities both created guidelines to address food securities and worked to outreach to communities about these strategies, including by reaching individuals in their languages.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
We recommend that lead agencies, in partnership with other state agencies, implement the following provisions in support of the early care and education workforce: (1) Ensuring federal child care relief funds reach individual early care and education staff in the form of direct cash payments. (2) Ensuring health coverage and guaranteed paid leave of at least two weeks for all staff working in regulated early care and education programs. (3) Adjusting eligibility requirements for public safety net programs utilized by early childhood personnel until the period when all state ARPA funds related to child care are liquidated. (4) Prioritizing equitable distribution of funding to programs located in communities with the most need, which have been impacted most acutely by this pandemic. (5) Improving systems administration and technical assistance to facilitate accessible, simple application processes. (6) Establishing essential, yet simple data collection protocols to examine the utilization and impact of ARPA funding in order to inform future policies and resource allocation. (7) Prohibiting the use of quality ratings as a determining factor for eligibility to receive ARPA funds or to condition levels of payment.
Emerging Practices that show potential to achieve desirable public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting and produce early results that are consistent with the objectives of the activities and thus indicate effectiveness.
RELEASE DATE:
Case Study
This report collects the strategies that urban health departments used to protect residents experiencing homelessness or at risk of experiencing homelessness during COVID-19. Strategies included working with community partners (particularly shelters) to expand housing, increasing outreach and resource allocation to people experiencing homelessness, and building better communication networks.
Promising Practices that show evidence of effectiveness in improving public health outcomes in a specific real-life setting, as indicated by achievement of aims consistent with the objectives of the activities, and are suitable for adaptation by other communities.
RELEASE DATE:
Summary Report/Recommendations
This report details the immense toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, and continues to take, on Black communities. The report’s authors – physicians and public health and policy experts – note massive disparities experienced by Black Americans. The worse outcomes, are a predictable result of structural and social realities. The predicates that caused these disparities have long been present. These are cycles we have to break. The report highlights areas for immediate focus and attention, and presents a set of expert-generated recommendations for action.