Malta House of Care

Malta House of Care, Inc.:

Background:
The Malta House of Care, Inc. operates a mobile health clinic for the delivery of free, primary health care services to the uninsured of the Greater Hartford community, through contributions from the Malta House of Care Foundation, Inc. Both are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.

A small group of community leaders adopted a voluntary mission to give the uninsured of Hartford access to completely free primary health care. After two years of planning and legal organization Malta House of Care commenced operations in July 2006 with the support of a very strong Board and extraordinary physicians, nurses, and other medical volunteers.

The Need:
Malta House of Care functions as an effective and unique community asset in Hartford, which is ranked as one of the ten poorest cities in the United States. From reports by the U.S. Census Bureau (2006 estimates), Connecticut Department of Public Health, National Institutes of Health, Center for Disease Control, and the City of Hartford 2003 Health Survey the nearly 125,000 estimated population of Hartford can be described as follows:

50 % earn less than $ 29,293
30.3 % of individuals are below the level of poverty, triple the national rate
12 % have no medical insurance protection
17 % report access to health care as “fair”, “poor” or “very poor”
8.5 % use the emergency room or community clinics for primary health care
Infant mortality is 7.6 per 1,000, nearly double the state and national rate.

Improving access to health care among underserved and poor populations is one of the most significant needs in the United States. In Central Connecticut, there are few options for the uninsured to access primary health care other than the hospital emergency rooms. These hospitals invest in costly fixed medical assets to provide care for the critical and chronic medical conditions, not primary care. As a result, the cost of giving primary care is extremely high when an uninsured individual goes to a hospital.

Service Delivery: The Malta House of Care
Our mission is to provide primary health care to the uninsured without discrimination. We deliver that care through the operation of a mobile health care facility on a fixed schedule at various locations in the City of Hartford. The role of Malta House of Care is to enable the uninsured to get health care and help avoid the common syndrome of the uninsured appearing at an emergency room with a chronic condition, often at a later stage. Using a community outreach effort through schools, social service agencies, places of worship, homeless shelters and the media, we provide ready access to those most in need. Through December 2007, there were more than 3,500 uninsured patient visits to Malta House of Care mobile clinics, which operate one half-day at three sites every week on a regular schedule.

Every person receives completely free primary health care, including physical examination, prescription drugs, medical tests, and referrals to other physicians as needed. We do not seek reimbursement from any third-party providers. Volunteers are drawn from the active and retired staff of Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Hartford Hospital, UCONN Health Center, and a number of other health care facilities. Patients requiring tertiary care and emergency care are referred to other facilities and physicians. Routine medications are provided free of charge to patients and made available by Malta House of Care through donated and low cost purchases from pharmacy providers. The majority of untreated conditions include hypertension, diabetes, asthma and depression. Follow up care is available at clinic sites.

We can and have had a major impact on primary care costs at local hospital emergency departments, which in 2006 were in excess $10 million at St. Francis and Hartford Hospitals. It costs a regional hospital as much as $400 per patient visit for primary health care, including x-rays, blood tests and pharmaceuticals. Malta House of Care delivers the same services at an average cost of $140 per patient visit. This means that in 2007 we expect to have saved the local health care system over $800,000 through our clinics. By most every measure, the impact of our service to the community has been significant.

Funding: Malta House of Care Foundation
The Malta House of Care Foundation solicits and manages funding of the clinic’s operating needs. Funding of this effort has been broadly based, including in-kind gifts and administrative support from the Aetna Foundation, CIGNA Foundation, Bank of America, ConnectiCare, Xerox Foundation, Archdiocese of Hartford, Sovereign Bank, Patricelli Foundation, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, Mandell Family Foundation, Wachovia Foundation, Hartford Hospital, The Maximillian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, Inc., Connecticut Light & Power, Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C., UBS, Murphy Security, AlphaGraphics, SBM Charitable Foundation, other foundations, businesses and many individuals.

The cost of this free medical care versus the value of these services to the patients show a ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 and would increase to 1:8 if tertiary care is continued by a local hospital.We have a major impact on primary care costs at local hospital emergency departments. It costs a regional hospitals as much as $380 per patient visit for primary health care, including x-rays, blood tests and pharmaceuticals. Malta House of Care delivers the same services at an average cost of $150 per patient visit. This means that in 2007 we expect to have saved the local health care system at least $800,000 through our clinics, with additional tertiary care savings up to $200,000.

The mission of Malta House of Care is Catholic in nature, because it is a service to the community by the Order of Malta, and is governed by Catholic principles of ethics. Notwithstanding, it offers services to the uninsured without regard to a patient’s race, color or religionThe services of the Malta House of Care are available to the uninsured without discrimination. Founded by members of the Order of Malta, the Malta House of Care promotes Catholic values and ethical principles to care for the community's sick and poor.