Here in Southern West Virginia, we are on the front lines of taking care of all patients regardless of their ability to pay. While we are fortunate to live in a beautiful state, West Virginia has much higher rates of cancer, opioid addiction and heart disease than the national average. Our patients – many of whom are low-income, elderly and either uninsured or underinsured – depend on us to provide them with high-quality, low-cost specialized services and care.

At Charleston Area Medical Center, we are proud of our mission, but it comes at a cost. Just last year, we had an operating loss of $30 million and had to reduce our workforce by 300 employees, including many caregivers. Our financial situation, and those of our patients, would be much worse off if it were not for a vital drug discount program called 340B. We rely on our 340B savings to meet the needs of the low-income and rural patients we serve, including Medicare beneficiaries.