Medical Division (Nevada DOC)

The Nevada Department of Corrections Medical Division page describes the unit responsible for health care in Nevada prisons and states the department's position that the state has a moral and legal obligation to provide health care, with federal courts having mandated that incarcerated people remain entitled to basic medical care. Each major institution has a medical and dental clinic and some infirmary capacity, and two institutions operate on-site acute care infirmaries with approximately 91 infirmary beds between them. Medical staff engage in over 600 patient care contacts each day statewide, primary care is provided at each institution, and on-site clinics are held periodically with outside specialists including cardiologists, surgeons and gastroenterologists; hospitalization in community hospitals is arranged when necessary. The Medical Division is administered by the Medical Director and Medical Administrator, who are responsible for medical, dental, clinical mental health and pharmacy services and policies throughout the department, with two divisional Chiefs of Nursing in Carson City and Las Vegas and a Chief of Pharmacy over the central pharmacy.