Nevada DOC Under Fire for Hiring Unlicensed Medical Director
The Nevada Board of Medical Examiners confirmed on February 23, 2024, that the medical director for the state Department of Corrections (DOC) lacked a license to practice medicine within the state. Dr. Kenneth L. Williams, former medical director of Tennessee’s DOC, was hired by Nevada DOC Director James Dzurenda in August 2023.
While Williams holds a Tennessee medical license, Nevada law mandates a state license for his position, which pays $217,000 yearly. Practicing medicine without a license is a category D felony in the state. Dzurenda has not explained his reasons for hiring a candidate who lacked this important qualification. While there is some debate whether Williams’ job meets the definition of practicing medicine, the job description explicitly includes responsibility for clinical decision-making, and even administrative doctors require a license in Nevada. Williams, who also holds a PhD, has experience in family practice medicine and holds a Tennessee medical license valid until 2025. DOC reports that he has been on paid administrative leave since December 28, 2023, while working to obtain a Nevada medical license.
Multiple DOC healthcare practitioners have raised concerns about Williams’ licensure, noting that he is involved in utilization reviews and critical healthcare decisions even while on leave. In one instance, Williams denied sunscreen to a skin cancer patient. Another unnamed provider said, “Some doctors are not agreeing with some decisions, but it’s what they’re being told to do, so they’re writing the order and they’re writing ‘per the medical director.’”
This is not the first legal challenge to Williams’ healthcare. While at Tennessee’s DOC, he was sued for denying Hepatitis C medication to all but the sickest prisoners; however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit found he showed no deliberate indifference and dismissed the suit, as PLN reported. [See: PLN, Feb. 2021, p.62.]
Sources: Doximity, Elko Daily Free Press, Nevada Current, Reno Gazette Journal
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