Cleveland Clinic cancels fundraising gala at Mar-a-Lago
Health system says it made the decision after "careful consideration."
Cleveland Clinic will not use President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate for a fundraiser next year, giving no explanation in a brief statement issued Thursday.
"After careful consideration, Cleveland Clinic has decided that it will not hold a Florida fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in 2018. We thank the staff of Mar-a-Lago for their service over the years," Cleveland Clinic said.
As of Monday, the Cleveland Clinic still planned on having its event at Mar-a-Lago, but had yet to sign a contract, according to a tweet by Dan Diamond of Politico.
The Cleveland Clinic had held its annual fundraising gala at Mar-a-Lago for the last eight years, raising $700,000 to $1 million annually for the hospital's Florida facility. according to ABC News.
The cancellation follows backlash over the president's comments about the deadly protest in Charlottesville, Virginia led by white nationalists.
It also comes after a letter of protest signed by more than 1,100 doctors, nurses, medical students and other Ohio residents who urged for a change of venue over the president's support for repealing the Affordable Care Act and for cutting funds for the National Institutes of Health, according to the ABC News report.
[Also: Tom Price: NIH budget cuts could target 'indirect expenses']
Earlier this week, Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove, MD, remained an advisor to the Strategic and Policy Forum while other executives resigned from Trump's American Manufacturing Council. By Wednesday, Cosgrove was among those advisors who disbanded the council when it became clear that the firestorm over the president's statements regarding Charlottesville left little choice.
[Also: Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove stepping down]
Cosgrove was among four health system CEOs to meet with the president at Mar-a-Lago last December, where Trump reportedly discussed the possibility of Cosgrove heading the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Washington Post reported in June that several organizations decided not to hold their events at Mar-a-Lago, not due to political reasons but because of the additional security needed to get into the Florida estate after Trump became president.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
