The ad, by Consumers’ Research, says clinic officials “prioritize care based on skin color, perform child sex changes, push transgender propaganda on vulnerable kids, insert DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] into everything they do, and spend millions on climate activism.”
The organization also seized on a sentence in a 2023 statement from clinic CEO Tom Mihaljevic, MD, in which he said “providing high-quality healthcare is only part of our mission.” Consumers’ Research said Mihaljevic’s statement is evidence “the Cleveland Clinic is prioritizing woke policies over patients.”
The 30-second ad, titled “Exposed,” is reportedly running on mobile billboards at the Ohio state capitol building, the Cleveland Clinic’s main campus in Cleveland, and the Florida state capitol building, according to Fox News, which also said the ad was scheduled to run during the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
In an emailed statement to MedPage Today, which asked about the ad, the clinic replied: “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,” referring to its function as a teaching hospital.
“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,” the statement continued. “Cleveland Clinic is a nonpartisan organization and we neither have nor promote a political agenda.”
The clinic’s spokesperson said it would not comment further. Asked how other health systems might respond to such attacks should they become more frequent, the clinic did not say.
In a statement, Will Hild, the executive director of Consumers’ Research, said the “Cleveland Clinic must reverse course, shun woke radicalism, stop spending resources in the wrong places, and make affordable quality care its only focus.”
Consumers’ Research’s website says it “was founded in 1929 with a mission to educate and protect consumers from harmful products” but has evolved “to a broader consumer advocacy organization — focused on educating consumers on the policies, products, and services of concern to them and to promote the freedom to act on that knowledge and understanding.”
Around the country, some hospitals have reacted to President Trump’s executive orders focused on eliminating DEI and funding for services or recognition of transgender sexual identification.
Another Jan. 20 executive order told all agencies to “promptly rescind” federal documents referencing transgender equality, intersex students, transgender youth, confronting anti-LGBTQI+ harassment in schools, and other issues because the new administration recognizes only the sex that an individual was born with.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) was asked if the current administration’s policies and attempts to defund certain federally supported programs might inspire attacks on other healthcare facilities across the country. The AHA did not respond.
But some healthcare organizations have removed from their websites certain references to some programs that the current administration has opposed.
For example, National Jewish Health in Denver reportedly ended diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts earlier this month in response to threats from Trump.
According to the New York Times, employees at some VA hospitals were told to take down any displays of LGBTQ flags.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee also reportedly removed from its website and social media any mention of DEI.
Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health in San Diego, said his system is not budging from its previous policies, nor has it been the target of any attacks. “We are not planning on changing anything we do or have been doing. We are an organization proud of being a high-quality, ethical, and law-abiding organization and plan on continuing that history and legacy,” he said.
