Medical student and rally organizer Yalda Afshar addresses fellow protesters Thursday outside the University of Illinois Hospital. "Healthcare doesn't wait," she said. "We have to serve the community mission." The University of Illinois plans to close a community clinic in Pilsen to save money.

Health care students and community activists protested at the University of Illinois Hospital on Thursday in an effort to keep a Pilsen-based community clinic open for business.

The Center for Women and Families at Pilsen, which serves more than 6,500 patients annually, is slated to be closed by the University of Illinois in June due to budget strains. The clinic, located at 1858 W. 18th St., has lost $1 million since it opened five years ago, according to University of Illinois-Chicago spokeswoman Jeanne Galatzer-Levy.

“The clinic has lost money every year it’s been in operation,” Galatzer-Levy said. “It’s just a way to cut overhead.” She said the hospital provides the same services at an outpatient care center at 1801 W. Taylor St., which is 12 blocks away from the Pilsen clinic.

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