The Mayo Clinic is rebranding its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives as “belonging,” following President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting all such DEI-related programs.
On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive action “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” banning the “illegal and immoral discrimination programs” within the federal government. The administration warned it would pull federal funding, including grant awards, from entities that continue implementing DEI-related initiatives despite the ban.
‘In keeping with this focus and recent national events, we’re embracing an opportunity to accelerate Mayo Clinic’s belonging journey to reflect our culture of collaboration and respect and support positive patient experiences.’
Trump’s action appears to have prompted some companies, including the Mayo Clinic, to effectively cancel the acronym while potentially keeping the same goals under a new name.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) responded to the clinic’s actions.
“They aren’t fooling anyone! DEI is DOA [dead on arrival],” Mace declared in a post on X.
On Thursday, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the Mayo Clinic is undergoing a “renaming” effort, including changing its DEI office to the “Office of Belonging.” Additionally, staffers with DEI-related titles will be referred to as “Belonging” employees. It noted that the clinic’s website would also be updated to reflect these changes.
A webpage on the Mayo Clinic’s Office of Belonging states that its “vision is to create a global environment of empowered belonging.”
“This requires building an environment of psychological safety, making Mayo Clinic a place where people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences can access the best healthcare and where all staff can bring their authentic best selves,” it continues. “Equity is embodied in every aspect of Mayo Clinic, from the individuals who constitute it to the organization as a whole.”
The clinic admitted that the move was prompted by “recent national events.” Yet, Trump’s executive order banning DEI initiatives also clearly prohibits such rebranding and masking efforts.
It reads, “The Director of the Office of Management and Budget … shall coordinate the termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”
While not under the federal government, the nonprofit medical group has received $500 million over the past two years from the National Institutes of Health. According to USASpending.gov, the federal government has provided more than $4.4 billion to the Mayo Clinic since 2008.
Minnesota Star Tribune reported that the medical group did not respond to questions concerning whether any jobs would be impacted, and it is unclear whether any functions will be changed.
Andrea Kalmanovitz, the Mayo Clinic’s director of media relations, told the news outlet, “Mayo Clinic’s commitment against racism remains.”
“Since 2020, Mayo Clinic has intentionally focused on belonging as a cornerstone of staff wellbeing,” Kalmanovitz stated. “In keeping with this focus and recent national events, we’re embracing an opportunity to accelerate Mayo Clinic’s belonging journey to reflect our culture of collaboration and respect and support positive patient experiences.”
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