2 days Ago By KGO
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Once every three months, Christopher Generoso makes a trip from Hayward to Oakland. He's made the same trip religiously for the past five years.
He's getting treatment for his diabetes. "For now, they're a big help for me, because I don't have insurance," Generoso said. Generoso found the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California through his friends who also had no other place to go.
MORE: Chinese Hospital in San Francisco celebrates 125th anniversary A clinic, which he says, changed his life. "It is because I never knew that I am on the border of diabetes until they took me in," he said. "And then afterwards, they give me medication, they give me every treatment, consultation and that's a big help for everybody that doesn't have insurance like me.
" The clinic was founded 16 years ago when the Cathedral of Christ the Light was built across from Oakland's Lake Merritt. The Order of Malta is an international lay religious organization of the Catholic church, dedicated to free medical care. The need from uninsured or underinsured people across the Bay Area has grown dramatically since 2008.
MORE: UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in SF and Oakland hold special prom for teens: 'Very heartwarming' And the clinic outgrew its space. On Wednesday, the clinic cut a ribbon, marking a new chapter. The clinic had been shut down for six months while crews worked to double the size, with twice as many exam rooms.
"We had a very generous benefactor who came by and.
