In 2024, Cleveland Clinic was accused of violating anti-discrimination laws by a law group for prioritizing certain patients over others based on skin color (the Minority Stroke Program and the Minority Men’s Health Center). The complaint alleged Cleveland Clinic violated federal anti-discrimination laws by not allowing all patients to participate.
Cleveland Clinic hired Jacqui Robertson as Chief of Diversity of Inclusion to “lead efforts that will further diversity and inclusion across the health system.” In a 2023 interview, Robertson stated: “I don’t believe that diversity and inclusion should ever be a standalone strategy. It has to be embedded in everything that we do. And so that’s our processes, that’s our metrics.”
Cleveland Clinic promotes eleven different Employee Resource Groups for women, LGBT individuals, African Americans, Latinos to educate and train employees to increase “cultural competency.”
Cleveland Clinic declares racism to be a “public health crisis” and established an Executive Diversity, Inclusion And Racial Equity Council “to examine and promote policies to eliminate racism, bias, and health disparities.”
Cleveland Clinic engaged in deliberate race-based hiring discrimination by specifically committing to “train, hire and promote one million Black Americans into family-sustaining jobs with opportunities for advancement” without offering a similar opportunity for job-seekers of other backgrounds.
