According to an internal memo, the university medical center is requiring all staff in the rehabilitative services department to attend a workshop on"DEI Foundations" or"Implicit Bias" during fiscal 2024. The memo was obtained by Do No Harm, a medical watchdog group, and shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner.The trainings are available until June 2024 and are being conducted over Zoom. Staffers are expected to register in advance.
"DEI Foundations workshop aims to host a reset on what diversity, equity and inclusion means for you and/or your team," the description of the training says."Through personal reflection, redefining core concepts, and reframing the work around justice, this workshop provides a meaningful opportunity to discuss what DEI currently looks like for you and/or your team, as well as shape what it can look like moving forward.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Wexner Medical Center and asked what the consequences are for not completing the training. A spokesperson for the medical center declined to comment on the memo.Laura Morgan, a program manager at Do No Harm, told the Washington Examiner that requiring staff to undergo DEI training was cutting into valuable time with their patients.
"The Ohio State University continues to show its commitment to the DEI doctrine by mandating these courses for the rehab professionals at the Wexner Medical Center," Morgan said."The time required to complete one of the hour-long courses is scheduled as 'protected time' for the therapists. This means Wexner is taking time away from delivering care to patients is taken away in favor of promoting the rhetoric that courses like this promote as fact.