America First Legal (AFL) has called on Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to investigate Henry Ford Health (HFH), a healthcare system in Detroit, for alleged illegal race- and sex-based discrimination. AFL claims that HFH's practices, under the guise of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI), have embedded preferences based on race, sex, and identity into its operations.
In a 14-page letter to the Attorney General, AFL outlines accusations against HFH. These include prioritizing demographic quotas over merit in areas such as hiring, executive bonuses, medical education, clinical training, and organ transplant eligibility. Megan Redshaw, an attorney for AFL, stated: “HFH has turned healthcare into a DEI loyalty program where race, sex, and ideology, not merit or need, determine employment opportunity and patient access and care.”
Since 2021, HFH has reportedly received nearly $1 billion in federally obligated DEI-related grants. It operates publicly funded residency and research programs with Michigan State University and Wayne State University. Internal documents from HFH allegedly support AFL's claims.
Additionally, AFL has filed a federal civil rights complaint against HFH with the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The letter asserts that HFH’s practices violate Michigan law independently of this federal complaint.
Megan Redshaw further commented: “Henry Ford Health has built a sprawling, taxpayer-funded system of discrimination that touches every corner of its operations — from the exam room to the boardroom... No individual should ever be denied care, opportunity or advancement because they don’t fit a bureaucratic DEI profile.”
AFL states it will continue its efforts to protect civil rights across America.