Strategies

Match disadvantaged or at-risk youth with volunteer mentors in school or community settings

Provide educational and behavioral interventions that support patients’ ability to actively manage their condition(s) in everyday life

Combine academic, mental and physical health, and social service resources in schools for students and families via partnerships with community organizations; also called community learning centers

Involve consumers in health care governance via roles on governing boards, advisory committees, or shorter-term special projects

Increase patients’ health-related knowledge via efforts to simplify health education materials, improve patient-provider communication, and increase overall literacy

Establish national standards for the colors of patient wristbands used to alert health care providers about specific conditions such as allergies or elevated fall risk

Delay school start times for middle and high schools to better align with adolescent sleep-wake cycles; often until after 8:30 or 9:00 a.m.

Provide a fixed, multi-component set of fall prevention interventions to older adults, usually in community settings, without an individualized risk assessment

Use visual tools to prompt safe practices, standardize communication, and ensure no step is forgotten before, during, or after a medical procedure or other health care situation

Teach positively stated behavior expectations to all students, often reinforced with prizes or privileges and supported with coaching and data