Do No Harm v. Valley Health Systems, Inc.

On April 21, 2026, Do No Harm filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) against Valley Health System for operating a discriminatory student healthcare scholarship program exclusively available to racial minorities.

Valley Health “proud[ly]” offers the “Minority Healthcare Scholarship” to its patients for pursuing healthcare careers. Recipients receive awards of $5,000.

However, in order to “contribute to a more diverse and inclusive healthcare community,” interested applicants must be a member of “a minority racial or ethnic group,” a requirement that communicates to individuals of other races that they need not apply, regardless of their academic ability, character, skills, experiences, and perspectives.

Programs like Valley Health’s minority-only scholarship institute race-based exclusions and illegitimate racial stereotypes, asserting that certain racial groups achieve “diversity” over others.

Because Valley Health receives federal funding, it is subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibit race-based exclusion and stereotyping.