West Side Leaders Rally to Protect 340B, Call It Critical to Keeping Clinics Open

WEST SIDE -- West Side patients, healthcare providers and community leaders traveled to Chicago State University on March 1 for the latest 340B Saves Lives ACTION Day, celebrating a program they say is essential to keeping medications affordable and neighborhood clinics open.

The rally built on earlier advocacy efforts in North Lawndale and brought together safety-net hospitals, community health centers and patient advocates from across Chicago. Speakers emphasized that while the event was held on the South Side, the stakes are deeply felt in West Side communities where access to affordable healthcare can determine whether families stay healthy or fall into crisis.

The 340B Drug Pricing Program allows eligible hospitals and community health centers to purchase medications at discounted prices. Providers reinvest those savings into patient services, including cancer care, chronic disease management, behavioral health support, maternal care and programs that help patients leave the hospital with prescriptions in hand.

West Side health leaders say those savings are foundational to sustaining care in neighborhoods that face higher rates of chronic illness and economic hardship.

Dr. James Brooks, CEO of Lawndale Christian Health Center, told rally attendees that community providers are united in pushing for legislative protections.

“Community health centers and safety-net hospitals all stand together and want to protect 340B,” Brooks said, urging House leadership in Springfield to move forward with pending legislation.

Advocates warn that recent restrictions by pharmaceutical manufacturers on how and where discounted medications can be dispensed have reduced savings for some clinics and hospitals. Without intervention, they say, those limits could force providers to scale back services or even close locations.

Mahomed Ouedraogo, CEO of ACCESS Community Health Network, has previously stressed that 340B savings are essential to keeping community health centers operational.

“That’s the difference between us being here and not being here,” he said, noting that clinics serve tens of thousands of patients each year.

Patient voices at the rally underscored the human impact. Perla Herrera described how access to discounted medications has improved her health and stability.

“340B affords me the ability to get life-sustaining medications,” she said.

House Bill 2371, currently before the Illinois House, would prevent pharmaceutical manufacturers from interfering with the pharmacy partnerships that help distribute 340B medications locally. Supporters argue the bill would preserve access to affordable prescriptions without requiring new taxpayer spending.

Organizers said the rally marks continued pressure on lawmakers as the legislative session progresses. For West Side residents, advocates say the message is clear: protecting 340B is about protecting neighborhood clinics, safeguarding jobs, and ensuring families can access care close to home when they need it most.