Opinion ID: 2279740
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Health Care Services at the District of Columbia Jail

Text: Early in 1986, the District and PDC entered into a one-year contract whereby PDC agreed to provide health care services for inmates at the D.C. Jail infirmary. Although this contract expired in 1987, PDC continued to render medical services at the infirmary under a month-to-month extension of the contract until January of 1988. Consequently, at all times relevant to this case, appellant was treated only by PDC personnel. In the summer of 1987, PDC's performance of the contract was supervised primarily by two of its employees, Dr. Robert Yancey and Dr. Barrington Barnes. As Medical Director of the jail infirmary, Dr. Yancey oversaw all procedures by which medical services were provided to jail inmates. As Assistant Medical Director, Dr. Barnes was responsible for supervising the day-to-day operations of PDC personnel at the D.C. Jail. He also treated patients who had been admitted to the infirmary. While the contract was in effect, the D.C. Jail infirmary was staffed by physicians, nurses, and physician's assistants, all employees of PDC. In general, the physicians would diagnose and prescribe treatment for inmates who were infirmary patients; the nurses would assist the physicians as needed in treating the patients; and the physician's assistants would provide basic health care and administrative services for both the physicians and the nurses ( e.g., administering prescribed medicines and monitoring patient admissions). While PDC was in charge of the infirmary, the physician's assistants were responsible for providing sixty to eighty percent of the medical care to infirmary patients. [2] The performance of the contract with PDC was monitored and supervised by health care personnel employed by the District of Columbia Department of Corrections. Their personal observations were recorded in a series of evaluative reports, which were then forwarded to the Department. The contract included a requirement that PDC maintain malpractice insurance for all of its personnel working at the jail infirmary. Although the record is unclear on the particulars, it does show that, at the time of appellant's injuries, there was no insurance coverage for physician's assistant Charles Lawson.