Concerned community members began meeting monthly in the Fall of 2000 to discuss community health issues in Greater Hazelwood. Shortly thereafter, the group named themselves HI HOPE (Hazelwood Initiative Healthy Outreach Promoting Empowerment). HI-HOPE is a subsidiary of the Hazelwood Initiative, a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of the Greater Hazelwood area.
Hazelwood community members and HI HOPE collaborated on a series of focus groups to identify and prioritize the unmet health needs of Greater Hazelwood. In response to the concerns raised by the focus groups, HI HOPE and the UPMC Health System created the Hazelwood Comprehensive Health Initiative (HCHI) in the Spring of 2001. In the Fall of that year, the HI HOPE Outreach center officially opened its doors. A month later the State of Pennsylvania Department of Health recognized HI HOPE as an official partner in the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).
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