Thank you for your continued efforts and dedication to our important work. We are one month into the new administration and in that short period of time, a number of orders, guidance statements and other communications have created an unprecedented threat and level of anxiety that we have not seen systemwide since the pandemic. And just as we did during the pandemic, we will meet the present challenges together with the same resolve.
I appreciate the many questions and comments you have submitted to the feedback form. Based on what you have shared, I want to address the following community concerns:
- School of Medicine Hiring Freeze: We have received many questions about the temporary hiring freeze for non-clinical employees within the School of Medicine and I understand the concern. These steps are necessary to minimize impacts if federal funds are abruptly removed. If you have questions about your specific role or positions that you are hiring for, please discuss with your manager or human resources representative.
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI): On Feb. 14, the Department of Education issued a “Dear Colleagues” letter to educational entities expressing the Department’s interpretation of current law around EDI activities and threatening that noncompliance could result in a loss of federal funding. We are working closely with UW leadership to evaluate the impact of the letter, and at this time, we are not modifying our EDI programs nor activities. We will maintain our values and we will continue to adhere to the law. As a university receiving federal funds, we have long been required to comply with both state and federal civil rights laws. The university has developed a programs and activities checklist to facilitate compliance with civil rights law. Departments and units should review written documents and current practices against the checklist. Summarized below, the three key elements for any program, activity, or opportunity are:
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- Eligibility is not based on sex or race;
- Communications demonstrate the opportunity is open to all; and
- Race or sex is not used as selection criteria.
- Research: We are also working with the Attorney General’s Office to support lawsuits filed to stop federal funding freezes and stop the National Institutes of Health from imposing a proposed cap of 15% on indirect costs. In both cases, federal judges issued Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) requiring the federal government to pause the freeze and proposed cap for a 14-day period. We continue to work closely with our state and federal partners and congressional delegates to mitigate impacts to funding. In the meantime, please continue to reference the UW Office of Research Guidance on New Administration Policy for Federal Research for the latest information. This resource is being updated in real time, so will have the UW’s latest information and communications.
- Gender-Affirming Care (GAC): Federal judges have issued TROs pausing executive orders that seek to withhold federal funding from entities that provide GAC to patients under 19 years of age. We will update information on the UW Medicine Federal Policy Update Site as events unfold. We remain committed to providing clinical care to our patients and to adhering to Washington state law which protects a patient’s ability to make decisions about their own care in consultation with a clinician of their choice. We are not currently making any changes to the care that we provide to patients.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): We have updated resources to address what to do if ICE enters our hospitals, clinics, classrooms or labs. House managers and administrators on call have been trained in protocols. At this time, there have been no reports of ICE agents on campus or in any UW Medicine hospital or facility.
Please remember to check the UW Medicine Federal Policy Updates Site for updates in real time. Thank you for all that you do to support our mission and thank you for continuing to support one another.
Sincerely,
Timothy H. Dellit, MD (He, Him, His)
CEO, UW Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and
Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the School of Medicine,
University of Washington