Malta House of Care, which provides primary health care to patients from throughout the area, will hold its 10th Anniversary fundraiser on Oct. 18.

Standing on the steps of the Malta House of Care health care clinic, longtime patients Jairo and Lilia Gonzalez of Hartford celebrate the 10th anniversary of the organization – and their 50th wedding anniversary, as well! Submitted photo

Submitted

Malta House of Care, Inc., a mobile clinic that provides free primary health care to uninsured adults in Greater Hartford, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year – and what a decade it’s been.

Since 2006, when Malta provided 477 patient visits at one site in the North End, the free clinic has grown exponentially: The big, white Malta van is now a weekly fixture in four different Hartford-area neighborhoods, providing 400-500 visits each month to adults without insurance.

Patients come from Hartford, as well as West Hartford and other area towns, as do the nurses and doctors who volunteer their time.

By the end of this year, Malta will have provided more than 40,000 free patient visits during the past decades – and will have saved hospitals more than $20 million, by keeping people out of emergency rooms and avoidable hospitalizations.

“We have much to celebrate,” said Malta’s Executive Director Barbara “Bobbie” Bartucca, who’s been with the non-profit since 2008. “But we also have much work ahead.”

That’s why Malta is hosting a 10th anniversary celebration on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 6-9:30 p.m., at the Marriott Hartford Downtown, to which all are invited. To reserve a seat or for information about sponsorships and auction donations, please visit www.maltahouseofcare.org/events.

The business-attire fundraiser will include teacup and silent auctions, dinner, and a program honoring the hundreds of volunteers who have made it possible for Malta to achieve its mission.

During the past decade, more than 300 volunteer doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals have provided about $15 million of in-kind professional services on the Malta van; dozens of other volunteers have assisted with fundraising events and in other key ways. Partnerships with Saint Francis and Hartford Hospitals have also been key. And, Bartucca has raised nearly $9 million with the help of many others from corporations, foundations, and donors.

“Together with the generous and continued support of many of Hartford’s corporations, foundations, and individual donors, as well as Saint Francis and Hartford Hospitals, we have been able to sustain and grow this incredible organization,” said Bartucca. “But as the demand for our services keeps increasing – we’ve had a 28 percent jump in patient visits so far this year – so too does our need for financial support.”

“That’s why our event on Oct. 18 is so important – we are thrilled to be honoring and celebrating all those who helped us get to where we are today, but we must also step up our efforts to make sure we can continue to provide the excellent free primary care services that so many people depend on us for,” she added. “We are the true safety net for all safety nets.”