Opinion ID: 721306
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Decision to Move Kulak to Ward Five

Text: 80 In his thirteenth claim for relief, Kulak asserts that Dr. Castille and Dr. Basa of Kingsboro violated his right to safe confinement by moving him from ward six to ward five. Kulak contends that the district court erred in granting summary judgment on this claim because disputed issues remain regarding whether the doctors acted properly in transferring Kulak. 81 An involuntarily confined patient has a right to conditions of reasonable care and safety. Youngberg, 457 U.S. at 324, 102 S.Ct. at 2462; P.C., 913 F.2d at 1044. The decisions of physicians regarding the care and safety of patients are entitled to a presumption of correctness. Youngberg, 457 U.S. at 324, 102 S.Ct. at 2462. Kulak claims that his right to safety was violated when, despite Kulak's complaints that ward five patients had threatened him, the Appellees transferred him to ward five where he was punched by another patient. Dr. Castille states that the transfer was necessary because Kulak's treatment team worked on ward five. To refute Dr. Castille, Kulak points out that the treatment team also managed a few patients on ward six, including himself for a period of time prior to the transfer. 82 This assertion, however, does not raise a material issue of fact sufficient to defeat summary judgment. The undisputed facts of this case demonstrate that Dr. Castille and Dr. Basa exercised professional judgment in transferring Kulak to ward five. Kulak's treatment team operated primarily on ward five, and Kulak had not been assaulted when he previously resided in this ward. Moreover, the Appellees did not treat Kulak's plight with indifference. As soon as the patient assaulted Kulak, Kingsboro placed Kulak on one-to-one observation during the day and moved him into a segregated room for sleeping, thereby ensuring his safety. Given Youngberg 's admonition that decisions such as the one made by the physicians here are presumed to be correct, we find that Kulak's right to safety was not violated by the ward transfer. We therefore affirm the district court's grant of summary judgment to the Appellees on Kulak's thirteenth claim for relief. 5