A Wisconsin law firm brought the complaint to the federal government, alleging the programs violate the Civil Rights Act
A Wisconsin law firm brought the complaint to the federal government, alleging the programs violate the Civil Rights Act
A Wisconsin law firm brought the complaint to the federal government, alleging the programs violate the Civil Rights Act
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is being investigated by the federal government for scholarships aimed at helping minority students.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights is looking into whether those programs break the law.
Cincinnati Children’s and the Cleveland Clinic are both being investigated, as well as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The law firm that brought the original complaint, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), identified four programs at Cincinnati Children’s that it claims are discriminatory.
Those are the William K. Schubert Minority Nursing Scholarship, the Jean Turner Minority Scholarship for Medical Imaging Technology, the Biomedical Research Internship for Minority Students and the Administrative Fellowship Program.
“Basically, allotting benefits and scholarship opportunities and other educational opportunities on the basis of an individual’s race or sex, that’s been illegal for a really long time,” said an associate counsel for WILL, Cara Tolliver.
The law firm claims the programs violate Title Six protections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Tolliver believes if the hospital refuses to end the programs, the Trump administration could pull grant money from Children’s.
“On the line right now is a whole lot of federal funding,” she said.
The move would align with the day-one executive order from the White House aimed to end federal funding at institutions with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. It’s now on hold after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration and the Department of Justice from enforcing it.
It’s unclear how that ruling will impact the investigation at Children’s Hospital.
“That will take the agency as long as it takes the agency,” Tolliver said.
Tolliver also points to another decision from 2023 when the Supreme Court effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions.
She says that also applies to the Children’s Hospital investigation.
“And I think that the position of the court very much strengthened cases that are challenging race-based action like this,” Tolliver said.
WLWT reached out to Cincinnati Children’s to get a response about the complaint filed and the potential investigation.
Children’s Hospital denied to give a comment or go on camera Thursday.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
