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Abstract: 

In Thomas v. Dragovich, 2005 U.S. App. LEXIS 14155 (3d Cir. July 13, 2005), a federal circuit court had to decide the extent to which the non-medical prison administrators would be held liable if inadequate medical care was provided to inmates of the facility. Earl Thomas, who was incarcerated at a Pennsylvania correctional facility between 1996 and 1998, had tested positive for Hepatitis C. In response, the prison doctor had prescribed a special diet for Thomas and was also monitoring his blood tests. Michael Finnegan, an inmate in Missouri, filed an action against a prison dentist, alleging that the dentist had violated his rights under the Eighth Amendment. While he was incarcerated, two of the plaintiff’s teeth had been removed by the defendant, a dentist who was not additionally qualified as an oral surgeon. In another action that involved prison dental care, Brian K. Stack, a state inmate, alleged that the Director of the Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) and the administrator of the Utah State Prison had exhibited deliberate indifference to his serious medical condition by failing to ensure that his constitutional rights were not being violated.

Keywords: contraindication, Motrin, hemorrhaged sinus artery, Dove, infections, sores, bleeding gums

Affiliations:  1: Pace University School of Law Library.