The Malta House of Care Mobile Medical Clinic (MHC) provides free, high quality primary health care to a diverse, multi-lingual, marginalized population which has no other means of accessing the current health care system. We seek to create and sustain, without discrimination, the only patient-centered medical home for thousands of uninsured individuals. Notably, our unique approach of providing continuous comprehensive primary health care services from a mobile medical van targets those communities across the Greater Hartford region which endure the heaviest burden of health disparities. What began as a project to address episodic unmet health care needs has now, by necessity, become a community resource for area hospitals, clinics, private doctors’ practices and, of course, patients who seek appropriate medical care for chronic health problems as well as preventative care. MHC has recognized this challenge, defining its mission to make a significant and positive difference in the lives of those most in need and improve the overall health of the greater community one patient at a time.
We believe that everyone is entitled to primary health care without discrimination. Though many in this country have enjoyed substantial improvements in their health, this is not true for everyone. In particular, the health status and outcomes of minority groups and low-income individuals have persistently lagged behind. These disparities in health are evidenced by higher rates of illness and mortality and lower life expectancy in Hartford’s black and Latino populations.
