LYNN — State Rep. Dan Cahill placed Lynn at the center of a statewide healthcare debate during a virtual legislative advocacy event sponsored by him and Sen. Michael Moore, focused on protecting Massachusetts community health centers from looming financial and policy challenges.

Cahill, whose district includes portions of Lynn, opened the online State House event by emphasizing the importance of community health centers to working-class communities and vulnerable residents across the Commonwealth.

“We know that you are facing a lot of uncertainty in health care,” Cahill said. “We are facing some looming cuts across the country. Massachusetts … understands the importance that community health centers provide.”

For Lynn residents, Cahill’s role in the discussion carried special significance because of the impact of the Lynn Community Health Center, one of the city’s largest healthcare providers and employers. 

“It employs…just about 650 folks. We have about 46,000 patients, and I am proud to say that I am one of them,” Cahill said.

Cahill also offered personal testimony about the care he received through the health center system.

“The reason why I’m here alive today is because Secretary Kiame (Mahaniah) made sure that I cleaned up my act and made sure I took the proper medications,” he said.

Throughout the event, Cahill repeatedly stressed that community health centers provide care regardless of income, language, or immigration status.

“That’s something Massachusetts should be proud to continue to provide,” he said.

The event brought together lawmakers, healthcare executives, and advocates to discuss growing concerns over federal Medicaid reductions, workforce shortages, and funding inequities affecting community health centers statewide.

Michael Curry, president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, warned that the state’s healthcare safety net is under mounting pressure.

“We are in a really precarious time in the Commonwealth and across this country,” Curry said. “Thank God we live in Massachusetts because of the people that work in that building who do get it, who do prioritize primary care, community health.”

According to Curry, Massachusetts has 50 community health centers serving more than one million patients, with “one out of seven people in the Commonwealth” receiving care through the system.

One major issue discussed during the event was the federal 340B drug discount program, which allows community health centers to purchase medications at lower costs and reinvest savings into patient care programs.

Cahill highlighted his support for House Bill 4490, legislation aimed at protecting the program from restrictions imposed by pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers.

“We have seen how that has been a tremendous benefit to many folks who otherwise would not have access to life-saving medications,” Cahill said.

Maria Celli, CEO of the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, explained that 340B savings help support services that are often not reimbursed by insurers, including interpreter services, transportation assistance, and staff who help residents enroll in health coverage.

“These are mission-critical services that help patients stay healthy,” Celli said.

Healthcare leaders also sounded alarms about the worsening shortage of primary care physicians. Susan Levine, CEO of the Lowell Community Health Center, said the country is projected to face a shortage of approximately 86,000 primary care doctors by 2036.

“One out of every four people … will either have no access, delayed access, or even limited access to primary care,” Levine said.

Levine urged lawmakers to establish Medicaid-funded graduate medical education programs at community health centers to train doctors directly in underserved communities.

She highlighted the success of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center residency program, which has trained nearly 250 physicians since 1994, many of whom remained in Massachusetts after completing their training.

“More than half of all of their graduates have stayed in Massachusetts,” Levine said.

The workforce discussion resonated strongly with many lawmakers and healthcare providers who argued that community-based training programs are critical to maintaining healthcare access in cities like Lynn.

Cahill emphasized that local advocacy will be essential in securing future support for community health centers.

“The more support we have from our advocates on the ground, the better we will be able to advocate at Beacon Hill for all the needs of our patients, of our staff, of our residents, and our community health centers,” Cahill said.

Tom Statuto of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers warned that failure to stabilize community health centers could have consequences throughout the healthcare system.

“If health centers are forced to curtail services or worse, close their doors, the impacts will be felt across the entire sector,” Statuto said. “Chronic conditions will go untreated. Cancer and life-threatening illnesses will go undetected.”

Despite the concerns, speakers repeatedly praised Massachusetts for remaining a national leader in healthcare access and equity.

“We are going to continue to make Massachusetts a leader in health care,” Cahill said, “and we’re going to continue to support our community health centers.”

For Lynn, where tens of thousands of residents rely on the Lynn Community Health Center for medical care, Cahill’s advocacy underscores the city’s importance in the broader conversation about healthcare access, affordability, and the future of Massachusetts’ safety net system.