Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and UC San Diego are distancing themselves from a letter from pediatric residents calling for a cease-fire in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Dec. 29.
The steps come after some in the community objected to the contents of the letter, which was posted on Google Docs, according to the newspaper, which obtained a copy of the letter.
In a statement shared with Becker's Jan. 2, Rady Children's emphasized its position, saying that the hospital is committed to "creating a safe and welcoming place of healing and growth," and "unequivocally denounces and condemns all violence against children."
The hospital also noted that it is not a political entity.
"Our focus is on ensuring that every child and family that comes to our doors feels welcome and are treated with the utmost respect and consideration," Rady Children's said. "Any statements that suggest otherwise do not represent our organization.
"That is why we want to be clear: a recent draft of a letter claiming to be written 'on behalf of Rady Children's' and expressing the authors' personal opinions related to current world events was unauthorized and drafted without Rady Children's knowledge or consent. While we respect individual rights to free speech, we do not condone the use of our name without our permission.
"Rady Children's is deeply committed to the children we serve and to the physicians, nurses and staff that help support our mission: to restore, sustain and enhance the health and developmental potential of children through excellence in care, education, research and advocacy."
UC San Diego shared a similar statement with Becker's Jan. 1, saying that the organization is aware of the letter and of internal responses provided by Rady Children's.
"The letter was authored by a few residents who were not speaking on behalf of UC San Diego or the residents in the program as a whole, and UC San Diego did not participate in the drafting of their letter," UC San Diego said. "The university does not comment on personnel matters.
"UC San Diego unequivocally condemns all forms of hate, and the university will hold accountable to the maximum extent of its abilities anyone whose conduct violates the law or university policy."
The letter the entities' statements refer to is entitled "A Letter on Behalf of the Rady Children's Hospital/UCSD Pediatric Residents," and signed only "UCSD Pediatric Residents," according to the Union-Tribune.
The newspaper's attempts to reach several UC San Diego pediatric residents via their university-issued email addresses Dec. 29 were not returned. UC San Diego pediatric residents participate in clinical rotations at Rady.
According to the Union-Tribune, the letter is an apparent attempt to speak for individuals doing their pediatric clinical rotations with Rady Children's and cites health statistics from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
To read the full Union-Tribune report, click here.