Ryan White Clinics for 340B Access sent a letter to Ken Yeager, a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, for his efforts to protect and preserve the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Read the full letter below or click here to download a PDF version of the letter.

Dear Supervisor Yeager,

On behalf of Ryan White Clinics for 340B Access (RWC-340B), thank you very much for your efforts to protect and preserve the 340B Drug Pricing Program as highlighted in your recent constituent newsletter about your visit with Rep. Anna Eshoo at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Given your many years of dedication to HIV response in California and Santa Clara County, we know that you are a tireless advocate for our patients. We especially appreciate your leadership in highlighting the vital, financial support that 340B provides to the health care safety net in your community, particularly for Ryan White Clinics.

RWC-340B is a coalition of HIV/AIDS medical providers receiving support under the Ryan White CARE Act. As you know, Ryan White providers are eligible to participate in the federal 340B Drug Discount Program, which enables them to expand and support care. In order to preserve access to this critically important program, members of RWC-340B have pledged to advocate for 340B Ryan White providers and those they serve.

Members of RWC-340B provide primary care and many other services to persons living with HIV/AIDS. Experts recognize that, to be successful in the fight against HIV/AIDS, persons living with the disease need more than medical care. Ryan White clinics often serve as a gateway to a broader range of services. The 340B program allows them to stretch their resources to support the full continuum of care that their patients need, from diagnosis, to linkage to care, to medication adherence and viral suppression.

For many clinics, 340B is a lifeline for patients served by our nation’s safety net providers. With 340B savings, Ryan White clinics are able to:
· Provide prescription drugs to needy patients at no or reduced cost
· Assist patients with their insurance premiums, thus promoting medication adherence and continuous treatment
· Provide medical services at little or no cost to needy patients

The 340B program is not funded by taxpayers, but rather is a discount that drug manufacturers must provide through an agreement with the government as a condition of Medicaid and Medicare covering their drugs. If the 340B program is eliminated or scaled back, the cost of serving uninsured and under-insured patients would have to be picked up by federal, state or local government.
We greatly appreciate your support of the 340B program for those we serve in your community and for communities across the nation. Attached please find recent RWC-340B correspondence to keep you and your office informed of our work or visit our website at www.RWC340B.org.

Thank you again for your support for Ryan White Clinics and the 340B program.

Sincerely,
Sara Dingwall
President,
RWC-340B