Arce v. Wexford Health Sources Inc.

Dist. Ct. did not err in granting defendants-medical providers for prison’s motion for summary judgment in plaintiff-prisoner’s section 1983 action, alleging that defendants were deliberately indifferent to his medical needs by delaying treatment on pain in his leg, failing to rule out compartment syndrome as cause of leg pain, failing to prescribe stronger medicine for his pain and using review system as means to deny him needed medical treatment for cost reasons. Plaintiff failed to present sufficient evidence to establish that he was actually suffering from compartment syndrome, or that defendants were deliberately indifferent in failing to rule out such condition. Also, plaintiff failed to show that 10-day gap between initial and subsequent medical treatment caused him any harm that could have been avoided had follow-up treatment been any sooner. Too, record showed that defendants prescribed series of drugs for plaintiff’s pain, which precluded any deliberate indifferent claim. Also, plaintiff failed to show that he was harmed by any of defendant’s internal policies, where he could not show that medical treatment for blood clot and for his leg pain was inadequate.