Press Release

Do No Harm Files Federal Complaint Against Racially Discriminatory Clinic

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • August 14, 2024
  • Cleveland Clinic

RICHMOND, VA; August 14, 2024 – Do No Harm, in partnership with the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic for two specific examples of racial discrimination. The complaint is directed at two of the clinic’s programs: the Minority Stroke Program and the Minority Men’s Health Center. 

The complaint stems from the fact that these programs are specialized for “preventing and treating [health conditions] in racial and ethnic minorities.” Offering racially segregated healthcare services is a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). According to Title VI, a recipient of federal funding, like the Cleveland Clinic, may not “provide services or benefits in a different manner from those provided to others” based on race. Similarly, the ACA prohibits racial discrimination by “any health program or activity, any part of which is receiving Federal financial assistance.” 

“Race-based discrimination and segregation of patients degrades trust in the healthcare system and is illegal,” said Do No Harm Chairman Dr. Stanley Goldfarb. “The laudable goals set forth by the Cleveland Clinic’s special programs to assist patients struggling with strokes, diabetes, mental health, and other health concerns can and should be achieved without racial bias.” 

“The problem with Cleveland Clinic’s racial persona grata / persona non grata model is that it engages the dangerous practice of using race as a proxy for legitimate health risks,” said WILL Associate Counsel Cara Tolliver. “Whether a particular patient should be prioritized, promoted, pursued, and included for medical assistance and care does not change simply because a patient is the wrong color. Cleveland Clinic’s endeavor to create a dichotomy of care that assumes what individuals need based on their race is both inappropriate and illegal.”

Click here to read the full complaint. 

Click here to read WILL’s press release. 

Do No Harm, established in April 2022, has rapidly gained recognition and made significant strides in its mission to safeguard healthcare from ideological threats. With 10,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians, and concerned citizens across all 50 states and 14 countries, DNH has achieved over 10,000 media hits in top-tier publications and garnered widespread attention through numerous broadcast news appearances.