We’re pleased to share that Malta House of Care is featured in the latest issue of the Catholic Transcript. The article highlights Malta’s mission and the compassionate care made possible by our dedicated volunteers, supporters, community partners, and healthcare professionals.
Read the full story below to learn more about Malta’s 20-year journey and the people whose lives have been touched along the way. (Read the full issue on the Archdiocese of Hartford website.)
A Beacon of Hope and Healing
Malta House of Care in Greater Hartford transforms lives through free, compassionate healthcare as a mission partner of the Archdiocese.
STORY BY SHELLEY WOLF
PHOTOS BY BOB FALCETTI
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Archbishop’s Annual Appeal supports the Malta House of Care.
In 2016, Verna was having lunch with a friend who noticed swelling on her neck and suggested she have it checked out by a doctor. Being uninsured, Verna had nowhere to go until her friend suggested she try Malta House of Care.
A doctor at the mobile Malta clinic behind the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford examined Verna at no cost and sent her for tests, which revealed she had thyroid cancer. Verna was then directed to St. Francis Hospital for surgery and is now on thyroid medication.
“I’ve been given so much,” Verna says. “If it had not been for Malta, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’ve been getting the best care ever. The compassion, care, guidance and direction helped me tremendously.”
Likewise, Norah is without insurance. She works as a certified nurse’s aide and cannot afford to buy insurance on her own. So, a friend suggested she make an appointment with Malta.
“They’ve helped me in every way, where health is concerned. I have terrible heartburn and arthritis in my knees,” Norah says. “This place is a blessing to me, not to mention the staff. They’re like family. Malta House is my home away from home.”
A SHARED MISSION
This year, Malta House of Care Inc. is celebrating its 20th year of providing free primary health care to uninsured adults in the Greater Hartford area. The only requirements are that patients be uninsured, 18 years or older and possess a photo ID.
“They’re in a sandwich situation,” says Betsy Walsh, director of development and administration for Malta House of Care. They don’t receive health care at work, she says, and many work two to three jobs. “They make too much for Medicaid, but not enough to buy health insurance.”
Malta’s tradition of caring began two decades ago. Dianne Auger, CEO of Malta House of Care, says, “It was a group of business leaders and a physician, Pauline Olsen, and many on the board of Trinity Hospital, who saw many people coming into the hospital with no insurance.”
“They came up with this idea that if they could have a trusted primary care provider out in the neighborhoods where people didn’t have insurance, that maybe they could help them avoid the emergency room.”
Malta leaders also teamed up with the Archdiocese of Hartford. “They worked alongside then-Archbishop Henry Mansell to identify neighborhoods in Hartford where they felt the need was greatest,” Auger adds.
Malta borrowed a van from St. Francis Hospital to use as its mobile clinic starting July 9, 2006, at St. Peter’s Church in Hartford and began breaking down the city’s barriers to health care of language, culture and transportation.
The Archdiocese of Hartford provided financial support to Malta as a major contributor. “The relationship with the Archdiocese’s churches and church locations became a trusted place to go,” Auger says. “And Malta became a trusted partner of the Archdiocese.”
Over the years, Malta and the Archdiocese continued to expand care, with the mobile clinic stopping in more city neighborhoods. These included the Hartford churches of Sacred Heart, Holy Trinity, St. Augustine and the Cathedral of St. Joseph. The mobile clinic stopped as well at St. Rose Church in East Hartford.
NEW LOCATIONS
Today, Malta serves patients in two locations: since 2022, at a stationary clinic in the Cathedral Community Center on the Cathedral of St. Joseph campus in Hartford and, since 2025, through its mobile van at the Parish Community Center at St. Mary Church in East Hartford.
“East Hartford has the highest percentage of uninsured adults in Hartford County,” Auger says. “So, it was really important we got back to East Hartford.”
And the stationary clinic in Hartford is all thanks to the Archdiocese of Hartford, Auger points out.
“This is another example of our support from the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese offered it as a clinic site, and we’re excited to have a beautiful location with five large exam rooms. The patients love it and the staff and volunteers love it. It allows us to serve patients in a compassionate, expert and dignified way,” she says.
“And the van serves its purpose because we’re able to get out to the neighborhoods,” she adds. Malta hopes to add a smaller second van this fall.
“We’re powered by philanthropy, period. We accept no funding from patients, no state or federal funding,” Auger notes. “And all our services are free. That includes lab, X-rays and medications. We raise the money we need from the community, and that includes a portion from the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.”
Malta House of Care is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Sept. 24, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Infinity Hall in Hartford. For more information, visit maltahouseofcare.org.