A series of court cases litigated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Education Fund between 1956 and 1967 laid the foundation for elimination of overt discrimination in hospitals and professional associations.
The landmark case, Simkins v Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital (1963), challenged the use of public funds to expand segregated hospital care. The second case, Cypress v Newport News Hospital Association (1967), reaffirmed the federal government’s application of Medicare certification guidelines to force hospitals to open up patient admissions, education programs, and staff privileges to all citizens and physicians.
Pursuit of a legal strategy against racist policies was an essential element in a national campaign to eliminate discrimination in health care delivery in the United States. (author abstract)