'Woke' hospital could be in crosshairs of Trump admin after scathing complaint alleges DEI discrimination
FIRST ON FOX: A pro-Trump legal nonprofit has filed an official complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling for an investigation into diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices at a prominent Midwest hospital system following a Fox News Digital report on criticism of those policies.
The complaint, which was filed by America First Legal (AFL) to the Civil Rights Office of HHS, charges that Henry Ford Health (HFH) has "implemented and institutionalized an organization of race- and sex-based discrimination under the banner of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ("DEI") across its operations, including its employment practices, residency programs, and delivery of patient services."
The complaint comes after Consumers' Research, a leading nonprofit dedicated to consumer information, launched an ad campaign alleging the hospital's DEI policies and transgender treatment for children had put "politics over patients," Fox News Digital exclusively reported.
The AFL is demanding an "immediate investigation," as it accuses HFH of using federal dollars to promote DEI initiatives, including racial quotas in their hiring practice, prioritizing organ transplants based on race, elevating "identity-restricted" students for medical scholarships and awarding supplier contracts based on race and gender.
"Failure to act in the face of such egregious and well-documented violations would not only signal tolerance of unlawful discrimination but would undermine the federal government's duty to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to advance unconstitutional or ideologically driven practices," the AFL wrote in the complaint.
The complaint accuses HFH of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, gener or national origin, and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits such discrimination within the healthcare industry.
The AFL also alleges that HFH is violating President Donald Trump's executive order signed this year that bans federal support for DEI mandates.
"Since 2021, HFH has received nearly $1 billion in federally obligated awards containing DEI-related provisions that embed race and sex-based priorities into clinical, research, and administrative functions. These awards show that HFH operates federally funded programs that affirmatively integrate DEI into its internal governance, recruitment, clinical decision-making, and service delivery," the AFL said.
The complaint described HFH's "discriminatory programs and practices" as "flagrant, ongoing, and systematic violations of non-discrimination mandates" and an "unlawful misuse of federal taxpayer funds."
In addition to a formal investigation into HFH's alleged violations, the AFL is requesting a compliance review of all HHS-funded programs, a suspension of all race- and sex-based policies and practices, revised HFH plans to comply with "federal civil rights law," legal and administrative penalties for noncompliance and referal of "any potentially unlawful conduct" to federal enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General.
The AFL described the Midwest hospital as perpetrating a "sweeping, deliberate, and ongoing pattern of discriminatory practices by a major healthcare institution receiving significant federal support."
The complaint is addressed to leading Trump Cabinet members, including HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Attorney General Pam Bondi, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
It also addresses Department of Justice Civil Rights Chief Harmeet K. Dillon, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Chair Andrea R. Lucas, Director of Office of Federal Operations at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Carlton M. Hadden and Senior Bureau Official at the Department of State Riley M. Barnes.
"Henry Ford Health is prioritizing politics over patients," Will Hild, Consumers' Research executive director, told Fox News Digital this month during the advertising campaign launch. "Driven by gender ideology, Henry Ford has continued performing deeply harmful and irreversible sex-change treatments on children and must be stopped… Consumers' Research will continue to put these hospitals on blast for putting a woke agenda over patient care."
Consumers' Research targeted the Detroit hospital with a campaign earlier this month called "Ford Health Exposed" that included a website spotlighting its "discriminatory practices" that it said included "administering harmful transgender treatments on kids, and prioritizing a radical climate agenda."
The Henry Ford Health website is littered with examples of "woke" ideology being promoted, including DEI, which the hospital admitted on its website is "woven into the fabric of everything we do."
"Diversity always will be the foundation on which Henry Ford Health stands," the organization's website states.
The website also openly promotes its use of "unconscious bias training" as well as Employee Resource Groups to promote its "diversity" agenda that it says will "enhance the quality of care and comfort for each person that we serve."
The healthcare system also promotes what it describes on its website as "supplier diversity," where it prioritizes working with businesses that are at least 51% owned by LGBTQ+ persons or certain minority categories.
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are simply not enough," Kimberlydawn Wisdom, senior vice president of community health and equity and chief wellness and diversity officer at Henry Ford Health, said in a 2021 newsletter posted on the provider's website.
An HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the department "does not comment on potential or active investigations."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Henry Ford Health spokesperson said, "Henry Ford Health respects and fully complies with all state and federal anti-discrimination laws."
"For more than a century, Henry Ford Health has been fully committed to serving Michigan's richly diverse communities, providing health care services and employment opportunities to everyone. Our commitment to non-discrimination remains steadfast," the spokesperson continued.
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