As a faith leader in the District of Columbia, I have spent decades walking alongside families through their most trying moments — illness, economic hardship, and personal loss. And I’ve also witnessed the healing power of community when public policy puts people first.
One such policy is the 340B drug pricing program, a federal initiative that enables safety-net hospitals and health centers to purchase prescription drugs at steeply discounted prices. Those savings aren’t stashed away — they’re directly reinvested into free and low-cost medical services, preventive care, mobile clinics, affordable medications, and more. In communities throughout the DMV — especially in under-resourced areas of Southeast D.C., Prince George’s County, and parts of Northern Virginia — 340B is a silent lifeline.
Unfortunately, that lifeline is becoming frayed. In recent years, several large pharmaceutical companies have restricted 340B providers from using community and specialty “contract pharmacies” to dispense 340B drugs to their patients. Contract pharmacies are trusted pharmacy partners that extend the program’s reach. These contract pharmacies are critical access points for patients who can’t travel to hospitals or don’t have access to in-house pharmacies.
For the families we serve at Tabernacle Church, many of whom juggle multiple jobs, care for elders, or are navigating chronic illnesses, these restrictions are more than a policy shift — they are a health crisis. Patients have shared stories of being unable to fill vital prescriptions due to distance or cost. For someone managing diabetes, high blood pressure, or mental health conditions, these barriers can be deadly. Meanwhile, the providers are losing millions of dollars in 340B savings that they depend on to serve patients in need.
And the impact isn’t isolated. Families across the District, Maryland, and Virginia depend on 340B-supported providers. That includes working-class parents, college students at Howard, Bowie State, or Norfolk State, and seniors in Wards 7 and 8 who already face higher rates of chronic illness. Undermining their access to affordable medicine, care, and support exacerbates racial and economic health disparities in a region already struggling with them.
This is why I strongly support the 340B PATIENTS Act, legislation in Congress that would stop pharmaceutical companies from imposing harmful contract pharmacy restrictions. It would preserve the original intent of the 340B program and ensure that safety-net providers can continue reaching those most in need — wherever they are. This is not a partisan issue — it is a justice issue. A health equity issue. A moral issue.
Scripture reminds us that we are judged by how we treat the “least of these.” That includes the mother trying to care for her asthmatic child in a neighborhood without a full-service hospital. The college student skipping prescriptions to pay for textbooks. The grandparent whose monthly income is stretched too thin for lifesaving medication.
The DMV is blessed with world-class hospitals, dedicated clinicians, and a robust faith and nonprofit community. But even all that is not enough if the tools that support our most vulnerable — like 340B — are stripped away by corporate decisions made in boardrooms, not exam rooms.
I urge Members of Congress representing D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to support the 340B PATIENTS Act and to publicly stand against any efforts to weaken or restrict this vital program. And I ask leaders in the health sector to recommit to the original spirit of 340B — equity, access and compassion for all.
Let’s not allow corporate overreach to jeopardize community health. Let’s protect the contract pharmacies. Let’s protect the 340B program. And most importantly, let’s protect the people who depend on both.
Rev. Donald Isaac is a longtime faith and community leader and pastor at Tabernacle Church in Washington, D.C.