Chap. 538.—An ACT to amend and reenact Sections 2, as amended, 4 and 6
as amended, of Chapter 197 of the Acts of Assembly of 1946, approved March
23, 1946, providing for the hospitalization, care and treatment of indigent per-
sons, and the allocation, expenditure and use of funds provided for such
purposes; to amend the chapter by adding two new sections numbered 5-a and
5-b, relating to certain contracts; and to repeal Section 7, as amended, of
such chapter, relating to credits, and to appropriate funds. {[S 173]

Approved April 6, 1948

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That sections two, as amended, four and six, as amended, of
chapter one hundred ninety-seven of the Acts of Assembly of nineteen
hundred forty-six, approved March twenty-three, nineteen hundred
forty-six, be amended and reenacted, and that such chapter be amended
by adding two new sections numbered five-a and five-b, the amended and
new sections being as follows:

Section 2. The State Board of Health shall allocate semi-annually
to the counties and cities of the Commonwealth on the basis of population
as shown by the last preceding United States census, such funds as may
be appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose, such funds
for services so allocated to be used by such counties and cities for meeting
one-half of the cost to such localities of hospitalization and treatment,
excluding out-patient service, at hospitals approved by the Board, of
indigent persons residing therein. Any funds for services allocated to
a county or city which remain unused at the end of any six-month
period shall be subject to re-allocation to the localities by the board.

Section 4. The eligibility of persons for hospitalization to be furnish-
ed wholly or in part at public expense, shall be determined by an auth-
orizing agent, duly designated and appointed by the governing body of
each county or city, who shall be empowered by the appointing governing
body to carry out the provisions of this act as they appear. Due notice
of such appointment shall be made by the governing body to the board.
No person shall be denied hospitalization solely on the ground that he is
not otherwise eligible for public relief.

A medically indigent resident of a county or city is defined as any
person who has resided in that county or city for the preceding twelve
months, whether gainfully employed or not and who, either by himself
or by those upon whom he is dependent, is unable to pay for the hospital-
ization required. If a medically indigent person has not resided in any
county or city for the preceding twelve months, he shall be deemed a
medically indigent resident of that county, city or state in which he last
resided for a consecutive period of twelve months or more, whether he
was or was not medically indigent while he resided in such county or
city.

Section 5-a. All contracts made for hospitalization, care and treat-
ment hereunder with the Medical College of Virginia, and the University
of Virginia shall provide that: (1) the county or city from which any
patient is sent shall be notified by the hospital attending physician if such
patient requires hospitalization beyond a two week period commencing
with the entry of such patient; (2) if such additional stay be required,
such stay, not to exceed two weeks, shall be at the expense of the county
or city sending such patient, provided that one-half of such cost shall be
defrayed by the State as herein provided. In no case shall any county
or city be liable for the care or treatment of any patient retained for
teaching purposes and in such event such care and treatment shall be
borne by the retaining hospital.

Section 5-b. In any case where hospital care and treatment is
provided under this act expense thereof shall be collected whenever
possible from such person or his estate or the person legally responsible
for his care; if the whole amount cannot be collected, as much as possible
shall be collected. The county or city from which such patient is sent
shall provide for such collections and the proceeds therefrom shall be
distributed one-half to the State and the remainder to the locality
collecting the same.

Section 6. The funds appropriated shall be used for the hospitaliza-
tion, care and treatment of indigent persons in accordance with the provi-
sions of this act.

2. Section seven, as amended, of chapter one hundred ninety-seven
of the Acts of Assembly of nineteen hundred forty-six is repealed.

3. To effect the purposes of this act there is hereby appropriated
out of the general fund of the State treasury the sum of three hundred
thousand dollars for each year of the biennium beginning July one, nine-
teen hundred forty-eight.

4. This act shall be in force on and after July one, nineteen hundred
forty-eight.