Opinion ID: 2717749
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Nurse Pope

Text: Pope evaluated Warren on January 28, 2010. According to Pope’s medical notes, Warren complained of “heavy pressure in chest,” “weakness,” “dizziness,” “wheezing/shortness of breath,” and “nausea.” Warren complained that his pain was “preceded by activity or anxiety” and “relieved by rest.” He reported that he experienced these symptoms for a month, and he described his pain as a nine (presumably, out of ten) on the “pain scale.” Warren told Pope that the pain “was so bad [that] be could not eat.” In her deposition, Pope stated that Warren denied experiencing any pain at the time of the evaluation and that she observed no distress or shortness of breath. Pope presents a closer case than the defendants discussed above. Even assuming that Warren’s reported symptoms, along with the prison policy listing “chain pain” as an emergent condition—one “for which delay in treatment may result in death”—constituted sufficient circumstantial evidence to conclude that Pope knew of Warren’s serious medical needs, there is insufficient evidence that Pope “disregarded the substantial risk of serious harm” to Warren. See Estate of Carter, 408 F.3d at 313. Immediately after seeing Warren, Pope called Dr. Burtch, the on-call physician, and notified him of Warren’s symptoms, condition, and vital signs. Burtch 19 ordered Pope to administer to Warren one unit of nitroglycerin and then to wait five minutes. 11 If Warren continued to experience pain, Pope was instructed to administer additional units. If Warren’s pain did not subside after three units, Pope was under orders to send Warren to the emergency room. Burtch told Pope that he would see Warren when he was next in the clinic, but Pope placed Warren on the list to see a doctor the following day. Pope repeatedly asked Warren if he was currently experiencing any pain, and Warren denied pain. fIbUnder the circumstances, there is no genuine issue as to whether Pope disregarded the substantial risk of serious harm to Warren.