Press Release

Cleveland Clinic Hit With Federal Civil Rights Investigation After Do No Harm Complaint

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • September 16, 2024
  • Cleveland Clinic

RICHMOND, VA; September 16, 2024 – The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) announced a federal investigation into the Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic’s racially discriminatory programs after a civil rights complaint filed by Do No Harm (DNH) and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL).

The complaint challenged the Cleveland Clinic’s “Minority Stroke Program” and the “Minority Men’s Health Center.” Both 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). 

HHS-OCR’s announcement stated that the agency had “sufficient authority and cause to investigate the allegations,” and that it had initiated an investigation.

If HHS-OCR determines that the clinic’s programs violate Title VI or the ACA, it could require the clinic to implement a plan of action, cut its federal funding, or refer the complaint to the Department of Justice.

“Do No Harm will not rest until we eliminate all racial bias and political ideology from doctors’ offices, medical schools, hospitals, and in the government agencies that regulate them,” said Do No Harm Senior Fellow Dr. Jared Ross. “The federal investigation by the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OCR) into the Cleveland Clinic – initiated by our complaint – is a small, incremental step. Do No Harm continues to wait for confirmation that patients of all races and ethnicities are now welcome for treatment at the two Cleveland Clinic programs we highlighted in our complaint.”

“HHS-OCR’s decision to open an investigation into Cleveland Clinic is a step forward to stamping out the use of unlawful racial stereotypes in healthcare in favor of a legitimate, individualized approach to medicine,” said WILL Associate Counsel Cara Tolliver. “Unfortunately, the current political climate has attempted to resurrect archaic notions asserting that racial stereotypes must be consulted in nearly every aspect of decision-making. This cannot be allowed to stand in healthcare where decisions based on individual need are critical.”

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.