SOUTH SIDE — Patients and healthcare leaders rallied in North Lawndale this week to warn lawmakers that delays in protecting the 340B Drug Pricing Program could hit South Side families hardest—especially as Illinois heads into a spring legislative session shaped by budget pressure and uncertainty around Medicaid.

The rally brought together patients, clinicians, and advocates who said the stakes are clear for neighborhoods across the South Side, where community health centers and safety-net hospitals are often the primary source of care. Without legislative action on House Bill 2371, speakers warned, access to affordable medications and critical services could erode quickly.

Dr. James Brooks, CEO of Lawndale Christian Health Center, said the convergence of rising healthcare costs and potential Medicaid cuts makes 340B protections more urgent than ever. He framed the issue as both immediate and unavoidable for lawmakers.

“We are the people—and we need this right now,” Brooks said, calling for swift action on HB 2371 to prevent pharmaceutical manufacturers from restricting access to discounted 340B drugs. Without those savings, he cautioned, providers may be forced to scale back services or close sites that South Side families rely on every day.

Chelsea Johnson, a South Side resident and board chair of Lawndale Christian Health Center, underscored how personal the issue is for patients. A cancer survivor managing multiple chronic conditions, Johnson said affordable medications made possible through 340B have been essential to her survival.

“Our lives, our communities are at risk without it,” Johnson told the crowd. She warned that without 340B, affording necessary prescriptions would become a serious challenge for many families already stretched by housing, food, and utility costs.

Physicians described what those pressures look like in exam rooms. Dr. Lisa Green of Family Christian Health Center shared an example of a patient whose medication jumped from $260 one month to $1,100 the next—forcing difficult choices and delayed care.

“There’s thousands of stories like this,” Green said, urging lawmakers to recognize how policy decisions directly shape patient outcomes.

Mahomed Ouedraogo, CEO of ACCESS Community Health Network, said the financial reality for safety-net providers leaves no margin for delay. ACCESS serves roughly 150,000 patients each year, many on the South Side.

“That’s the difference between care being there or not,” Ouedraogo said, warning that without 340B protections, clinic closures would leave entire communities with fewer options for care.

Looking ahead, advocates said the spring legislative session represents a decisive moment. For South Side residents managing chronic illness, caring for aging parents, or raising children with complex health needs, the outcome of HB 2371 could determine whether affordable care remains close to home.

Lawmakers were urged to act now, before more patients are forced into impossible choices between their health and their household budgets.