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Archbishop blesses mobile health unit to assist uninsured
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WATERBURY, Conn. (CNS) -- Heavy rains drenched much of the state on the night before a new Malta House of Care mobile van was dedicated at Sacred Heart-Sagrado Corazon Parish in Waterbury. By the time Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell blessed the new van, however, only a light drizzle fell. "We do know that water and rain are the universal symbols of rebirth, renewal and regeneration," the archbishop said. "We speak of rebirth, renewal and regeneration with the establishment and blessing of the (new) Malta House of Care van." Like the van that has operated in Hartford for nearly four years, the modified recreational vehicle -- this one donated by past ConnectiCare president and CEO Mickey Herbert -- is retrofitted to provide office and medical examination space for the primary medical care of people without health insurance. Services include free physical exams, diabetes and blood pressure checks, prescription drug management, medical tests and referrals to other physicians as needed. Dr. Paul Kelly, medical director of Malta House of Care-Waterbury, told the gathering that he rarely had to ask for volunteers for the project. He said a nurse at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury told him he had read about the project. "He walked up to me almost in a trot and was really juiced up about participating," Kelly said.
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