[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 99 (Thursday, June 9, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 340B DISCOUNT DRUG PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2022

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of 
the 340B drug pricing program in this 30th anniversary year of ensuring 
access to patient care through our Nation's safety net providers.
  The 340B program is critical for safety-net providers in my district, 
including a total of 22 combined hospitals, and medical centers all of 
which uses its program savings to provide a range of services in 
response to social determinants of health screening, such as
  Food pantries within hospitals;
  Emergency food/meal delivery assistance, and pilot programs focused 
on providing housing and transportation assistance; and
  Strengthening the health sciences career pipeline and educational 
attainment efforts through targeted academic enrichment and youth 
workforce development for more than 3,000 pre-K thru college students.
  On a personal level, there is the case of Erika Aguero who was 
uninsured when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Erika called many 
places to try and schedule treatment but because of her insurance 
status, providers were unable to help her access affordable care. She 
thought cancer was going to end her life. When Erika called Mount Sinai 
hospital in Chicago the hospital provided her access to affordable 
chemotherapy treatment using the hospital's 340B savings. Mount Sinai 
provided Erika with a 340B-supported discount card that enabled her to 
receive eight cycles of intravenous chemo and seven cycles of chemo 
medications. Erika says, ``I felt like I had a new opportunity to carry 
on and keep fighting.'' Today she is healthy and thankful to Mount 
Sinai.
  340B has been vital for 30 years and will continue to be vital for 
decades to come. We must protect 340B. It is only fitting that we meet 
today on the 8th day of Black History Month. I am pleased to represent 
the historic 7th Congressional District, which has been central 
throughout the nation to the progress of the poor and underrepresented 
and underserved people of color, namely African Americans throughout 
American history:
  It is the location in City of Chicago where Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. established his northern Freedom Campaign headquarters to 
demonstrate against racial discrimination and expose the north's 
quality of life disparities in 1966.
  It is the location of the Illinois Black Panther Party headquarters 
where my colleague Bobby L. Rush risked his life fighting and where 
Chairman Fred Hampton was assassinated while fighting to close quality 
of life disparities for poor black people in 1969.
  Today, it is where there are more hospital beds to care for the sick 
and the poor than any other district in the Nation.
  I believe that the 340B Program stands consistently in kindred spirit 
with the public policies advocated by President Abraham Lincoln, Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., and Chairman Fred Hampton. I am pleased to 
stand in this tradition with my continued support of this vital program 
which addresses the critical health needs of the citizens of the 7th 
Congressional District and indigent populations throughout the Nation.