Latest news with #WillHild
Fox News
20-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Expert reveals how companies are rebranding 'toxic' DEI policies to skirt Trump-era bans: 'New wrapper'
EXCLUSIVE: As the Trump administration and Republicans across the country push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies across the board, the executive director of a top consumer advocacy group spoke to Fox News Digital about what companies and institutions are doing to skirt those efforts. "Over the last few months, we've sort of seen a phase shift in the ways that they're trying to keep this DEI grift going," Consumers' Research Executive Director Will Hild told Fox News Digital about companies, organizations, hospitals and other entities that are attempting to rebrand DEI and environmental, social and governance in the Trump era. "At first, they just pushed back on, tried to defend DEI itself, but when that became so obvious that what DEI really was was anti-White, anti-Asian, sometimes anti-Jewish discrimination in hiring and promotion, they abandoned that," Hild said. "Now what they're trying to do is simply change the terminology that has become so toxic to their brand. So we're seeing a lot of companies move from having departments of DEI, for example, to 'departments of belonging' or 'departments of inclusivity.'" Several major companies have publicly distanced themselves from DEI in recent months as the new administration signs executive orders eliminating the practice while making the argument that meritocracy should be the focus. However, FOX Business exclusively reported in April on Consumers' Research warning that some businesses appear to be rebranding the same efforts rather than eliminating them. "It is the exact same toxic nonsense under a new wrapper, and they're just hoping to extend the grift because a lot of these people, I would say most of the people working in DEI are useless," Hild told Fox News Digital. "They are mediocrities who have managed to get very high-level positions that they're not qualified for by running this DEI grift, and they're desperate," he continued. "They can't just move into running logistics for Amazon because that takes actual competence and intelligence and if you're in a DEI department, you probably don't have either of those things. So they are desperate to keep this grift going so they can justify their own existence. So they're changing it into a new wrapper." Hild, who spoke to Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida, also explained some of the other issues Consumers' Research is focused on going forward, including fighting "woke" hospitals in three different areas. "One is net zero pledges and activities that raise costs for consumers, patients having to pay more because these hospitals are investing millions, sometimes tens of millions of dollars, into green boondoggle projects that have nothing to do with the treatment of patients and the improvement of their health, but they do raise prices," Hild said. Secondly, Hild said that his group is concerned about DEI quotas at hospitals. Hild explained that the third and "worst" issue is transgender surgeries and procedures being forced onto children. "Pushing of radical left transgender ideology onto kids, and not just pushing it ideologically and rhetorically, but pushing it physically, and what I mean by that is the injection of damaging, lifelong damaging hormones into children to, quote, unquote, change their sex, which is impossible, and even worse, the actual surgical application, removal and mutilation of their genitals, which is a grotesque violation of the Hippocratic Oath," Hild said. Consumers' Research has been actively involved in launching advertising campaigns against hospitals across the United States, including a recent campaign against Henry Ford Health in Michigan, calling out what it says are situations where hospitals are putting "politics over patients."
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Vanderbilt Med Center 'hiding' DEI resources behind password-protected web pages: report
FIRST ON FOX: While some medical schools have taken steps to scrub their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments from their websites, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been found to be hiding some of theirs behind password-protected web pages. The conservative nonprofit organization Consumers Research unveiled a campaign Tuesday titled, "What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?" after finding that VUMC was not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also keeping some and hiding them from public view. The campaign includes a website, complete with screenshots and archived web links, showing the various web pages tied to DEI and climate activism that are now password-protected. The Consumers' Research campaign also includes a mobile billboard that the nonprofit has deployed at the university to raise awareness about VUMC's actions. University Doctor Boasts About Finding Loopholes To Skirt Anti-dei Laws: 'That's What We Do' "Vanderbilt University Medical Center is frantically trying to conceal its radical policies by password-protecting and deleting webpages highlighting its commitment to DEI and climate activism," Will Hild, Consumers' Research executive director, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Until recently, VUMC proudly touted its woke ideology, showcasing DEI policies and an activist climate agenda prominently throughout its website. But now, the health system is scrambling to hide the evidence. This seemingly nefarious behavior begs the question, what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding?" While VUMC deleted several web pages related to DEI resources and programs that it offers within specific departments, VUMC's Office of Diversity and Inclusion website allegedly remains active, only to be accessed with a username and password, according to the nonprofit. Read On The Fox News App A VUMC Department of Medicine web page touting its commitment to recruit "a diverse resident and fellow population" and laying out resources for those "underrepresented in medicine" is now hidden as well. Universities Facing 'Impossible Situation' As Trump Administration Cracks Down On Dei: Report Other web pages about prioritizing "climate care as health care" and other left-wing climate change initiatives have also become password-protected, Consumers' Research found. In a statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC "is undertaking a thorough review" of its programs to figure out "where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms." "While we undertake that review, we have elected to take down related websites to ensure current, accurate, and factual information," Howser added. "VUMC remains committed to maintaining an environment in which all our employees, patients and visitors feel equally welcome, respected and valued." University Of Wisconsin-madison's Ex-diversity Officer Scrutinized Over Spending, Judgment Amid Dei Crackdown Included in the Consumers' Research campaign is a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on HHS and the Department of Government Efficiency to investigate VUMC. "VUMC, a top research hospital in the United States, relies heavily on federal dollars," the letter states. "Taxpayer dollars should be used to prioritize patient care, not political activism. Consumers' Research stands ready to assist as needed to ensure accountability and protect consumers." VUMC was investigated by Tennessee's Attorney General's Office in 2023 amid allegations that a doctor at VUMC was manipulating medical billing codes to evade insurance coverage-limitations for transgender treatments. The investigation followed a video released in 2022, which allegedly showed a VUMC doctor touting transgender surgeries for minors as "huge money makers" and telling anyone with a religious objection to providing them should article source: Vanderbilt Med Center 'hiding' DEI resources behind password-protected web pages: report
Fox News
18-03-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Vanderbilt Med Center 'hiding' DEI resources behind password-protected web pages: report
FIRST ON FOX: While some medical schools have taken steps to scrub their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments from their websites, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) has been found to be hiding some of theirs behind password-protected web pages. The conservative nonprofit organization Consumers Research unveiled a campaign Tuesday titled, "What Is Vanderbilt University Medical Center Hiding?" after finding that VUMC was not just deleting some of its references to DEI commitments and resources, but also keeping some and hiding them from public view. The campaign includes a website, complete with screenshots and archived web links, showing the various web pages tied to DEI and climate activism that are now password-protected. The Consumers' Research campaign also includes a mobile billboard that the nonprofit has deployed at the university to raise awareness about VUMC's actions. "Vanderbilt University Medical Center is frantically trying to conceal its radical policies by password-protecting and deleting webpages highlighting its commitment to DEI and climate activism," Will Hild, Consumers' Research executive director, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Until recently, VUMC proudly touted its woke ideology, showcasing DEI policies and an activist climate agenda prominently throughout its website. But now, the health system is scrambling to hide the evidence. This seemingly nefarious behavior begs the question, what is Vanderbilt University Medical Center hiding?" While VUMC deleted several web pages related to DEI resources and programs that it offers within specific departments, VUMC's Office of Diversity and Inclusion website allegedly remains active, only to be accessed with a username and password, according to the nonprofit. A VUMC Department of Medicine web page touting its commitment to recruit "a diverse resident and fellow population" and laying out resources for those "underrepresented in medicine" is now hidden as well. Other web pages about prioritizing "climate care as health care" and other left-wing climate change initiatives have also become password-protected, Consumers' Research found. In a statement to Fox News Digital, VUMC spokesperson John Howser said that in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive actions mandating an end to DEI programs, particularly in educational institutions, VUMC "is undertaking a thorough review" of its programs to figure out "where revisions may be required to remain in compliance, including updating information on websites and other public platforms." "While we undertake that review, we have elected to take down related websites to ensure current, accurate, and factual information," Howser added. "VUMC remains committed to maintaining an environment in which all our employees, patients and visitors feel equally welcome, respected and valued." Included in the Consumers' Research campaign is a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on HHS and the Department of Government Efficiency to investigate VUMC. "VUMC, a top research hospital in the United States, relies heavily on federal dollars," the letter states. "Taxpayer dollars should be used to prioritize patient care, not political activism. Consumers' Research stands ready to assist as needed to ensure accountability and protect consumers." VUMC was investigated by Tennessee's Attorney General's Office in 2023 amid allegations that a doctor at VUMC was manipulating medical billing codes to evade insurance coverage-limitations for transgender treatments. The investigation followed a video released in 2022, which allegedly showed a VUMC doctor touting transgender surgeries for minors as "huge money makers" and telling anyone with a religious objection to providing them should quit.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cleveland Clinic addresses allegations made in nonprofit's ad campaign
CLEVELAND (WJW) – The Cleveland Clinic is the focus of a new ad campaign by a nonprofit organization that asks the question, 'is the Cleveland Clinic the wokest hospital in America?' The group, Consumers' Research, claims the Clinic is focusing on social issues instead of the care of patients. In a television commercial, the group claims that Clinic leadership, 'prioritize care based on skin color, perform child sex changes, push transgender propaganda on vulnerable kids, insert DEI into everything they do and spend millions on climate activism.' Ohio Senate OKs bill banning college DEI programs, faculty strikes after hundreds testify against it The executive director of Consumers' Research accuses the Clinic of 'being focused on a political agenda, not what's best for patients.' According to Will Hild, 'Cleveland Clinic is very woke, whether it's pushing net zero policies that drive up costs for patients, whether it's treating patients differently based on the color of their skin or pushing far left transgender ideology on kids under the age of 18, including surgeries and lifelong addictions to puberty blockers.' Consumers' Research was started in 1929 as a founding organization in the consumer protection movement. In 2021, the nonprofit launched a campaign to combat what it calls 'wokeness' in corporate America. 'The number one goal for any of our campaigns is always to get the organization to change its behavior,' said Hild. The nonprofit maintains it is prepared to do more than just run commercials. For example, Consumers' Research promotes the fact that it played a central role in the boycott of Bud Light beer in 2023. As part of the new campaign called, 'Cleveland Clinic Exposed,' Hild maintains, 'patients and consumers have the right to vote with their wallet and their voice.' According to Hild, 'if this is something that Cleveland Clinic thinks is more important than serving their patients, we would highly recommend patients find a different place to seek treatment.' Group billed Cleveland taxpayers for sending sympathy note after officer death: I-Team When asked how Consumers' Research is funded, Hild said the organization has thousands of donors from across the country, but they protect their privacy to prevent harassment from those who oppose the group. In response to the claims by Consumers' Research, Cleveland Clinic issued the following statement: 'The recent Consumers' Research advertising campaign is riddled with inaccuracies and lies. For example, Cleveland Clinic does not provide gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 18. For over 100 years, Cleveland Clinic's mission has been to care for life, research for health and educate those who serve. We do not discriminate or create preferences based on race, gender or any other characteristics, and we abide by ethical and legal standards of care with respect to our delivery of healthcare services. Cleveland Clinic is a nonpartisan organization and we neither have nor promote a political agenda.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
