Watchdog Organization Sues Medical Association Over Race-Based Scholarship

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, board chair of Do No Harm. Courtesy of Do No Harm

Do No Harm (DNH), an organization that spotlights racial discrimination in health care institutions, has filed a lawsuit against the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), alleging that the organization disqualifies white students from its scholarship program based on their race.

“The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians is given the important responsibility of training America’s first responders,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of DNH. “Like all aspects of healthcare, training the best and brightest to provide the best care for patients should be the primary concern of all medical organizations, not the skin color of an EMT. First responders and all medical professionals should be given opportunities, training, and scholarships on the basis of merit.”

DNH had the lawsuit filed on behalf of one of its members—named “Member A” in the suit—who meets the criteria for the financial needs the scholarship would fulfill if it weren’t for her being white, a factor that disqualifies her from applying.

NAEMT awards scholarships for $1,250 based on financial need, community service, and commitment to the profession.

Applicants must write a 1,000-word essay on their reasons for seeking the award and how it would help them in their academic and career goals.

The lawsuit states that the scholarship is—in addition to being a contest—a contract between the student and NAEMT in which the student agrees to follow the award guidelines to receive the $1,250, which includes maintaining good grades and completing the program.

“To be eligible for this scholarship, however, the applicant must be a student of color,” the lawsuit states. “NAEMT makes it clear that ‘[s]cholarship will be awarded to students of color.’”

According to NAEMT’s website, its diversity scholarship was designed to help “underrepresented groups in joining the EMS profession, and to promote the development of greater diversity in the EMS workforce so that our workforce reflects the communities that we serve.”

The Epoch Times contacted NAEMT for comment.

The lawsuit is one of several DNH has filed against medical institutions and government agencies practicing what it believes to be racial discrimination.

Lawsuit Against Louisiana Governor’s Office

Earlier this month, DNH filed a complaint against the Louisiana governor’s office to prohibit racial discrimination in medical board appointments.

The lawsuit alleges that the racial mandate is a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and calls for a “permanent prohibitory injunction” preventing the governor’s office from carrying out the mandate.

“Do No Harm has members who are Louisiana physicians as well as members who would qualify for appointment to the consumer slot but for their race,” the lawsuit states. “It brings this lawsuit on behalf of itself and its members to ensure that every doctor and qualifying public consumer in Louisiana has the equal right to serve on the Board, and to ensure that the people of Louisiana are regulated by a Board that is not selected on the basis of race.”

The state medical board is comprised of ten governor-appointed, state Senate-approved members.

“Of these ten seats, nine must be filled by physicians and one by a member of the public,” the lawsuit states.

In 2018, the state legislature passed a law directing the governor to rely on racial mandates when appointing members.

According to the legislation, “at least every other member appointed from a list provided for in this Paragraph shall be a minority appointee.”

“The legislative record contains no discussion of racial discrimination, statistics, or any other alleged governmental interest that formed the basis for the racial mandate for appointments to the Board,” the lawsuit states, later adding that it serves no compelling government interest or remediates “any specific instances of racial discrimination that violated the Constitution or statutes.”

The racial mandate also “stereotypes individuals” based on race while treating people of different races as negotiable, used to meet “racial quotas.”

“Choosing candidates to oversee the critical aspect of the state’s medical field based on anything other than merit is corrosive to the mission and perception of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners,” Dr. Goldfarb said. “This type of discriminatory mandate is not only unconstitutional but also reflects the politicization of healthcare that is dangerous for patients and physicians. Expertise should be the determining factor, and Louisiana must get rid of discriminatory practices to refocus on medical excellence.”

On Jan. 2, DNH settled a lawsuit against Vituity, a medical staffing agency that agreed to end what it called its “Black Physician Leadership Incentive,” which was an incentive program that awarded up to $100,000 to black physicians.

“The federal court observed that Do No Harm made a ‘compelling argument’ that Vituity was ‘blatantly violat[ing] various federal laws,’” DNH said in a press release on the suit. “The court also found that it was ‘undisputed’ that Vituity’s program ‘discriminate[d] based on race.’”