CHAPTER 248

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 32-148, 2-158, and 82-154 of the Code of
Virginia, these sections being part of Article 1 of Chapter 10 of Title
$2, which article relates to maternity hospitals, the sections themselves
relating, respectively, to permits required for the operation of such
hospitals, the granting of such permits, and the prerequisites to the

granting of the permits.
[H 423]

Approved March 11, 1960

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 32-148, 32-153, and 32-154 of the Code of Virginia be amended
and reenacted as follows:

82-148. (a) No person shall maintain or operate a maternity hos-
pital in this State unless he shall first obtain from the Board a permit there-
for, as hereinafter provided.

b) No person shall construct a maternity hospital or make material
alterations in or additions to an existing structure which is or is to be used
as a maternity hospital unless he shall first have filed a copy of plans for
such construction, alteration or addition with the Board.

(c) No permit issued pursuant to this article shall authorize any
person to engage in the business or practice of child-placing, and no person
shall engage in such business or practice unless specifically licensed as a
child-placing agency by the Department of Welfare and Institutions as
provided by law.

§ 32-153. The Board shall grant a permit to maintain and operate
a maternity hospital to any person who makes application therefor on
forms furnished, on request, by the Board, provided that upon inspection
of the maternity hospital by the Board or its duly authorized agents, it is
found that * satisfactory provision has been made by the applicant for
compliance avith all of the requirements pe the next section.

-154. very person who shall maintain or operate a materni
hospital in this State shall make provision for the following facilities
serves} ils requirements : ent

ysicians.—Each patient in a maternity hospital shall
the care of or attended by a licensed physician. . P be under
(2) Nurses.—* Sufficient registered graduate nurses shall be employed
to provide adequate nursing supervision and care for all maternity patients
and infants. _ . .

(3) Orders.—All orders from physicians regarding mothers and in-
fants shall be written in ink on patients’ charts or in order books, at the
time of the order, unless the writing of such order is prevented by unusual
circumstances in which case the order shall be written within twenty-four
hours from that time. ;

(4) Examination of employees.—All employees of a maternity hospital
who are in contact with patients at any time and all food handlers shall
have a physical examination, including chest X-ray, at the tume of employ-
ment, and at intervals thereafter as may be directed by the chief admin-
istrative officer of the hospital, to determine freedom from communicable
disease.
(5) Isolation of and care of patients; protection against accidents and
fires.—The construction, space and arrangement of the building or section
of the building used as a maternity hospital shall be such as to provide *
isolation of maternity patients from any other type of patient, insure
facilities for efficient care of maternity patients, provide protection against
accidents, and conform to State and local fire laws.

(6) Equipment.—Such provision shall be made for instruments, equip-
ment, linens and other facilities, including facilities for transfusion and an
available source of supply of blood, as may be necessary for the proper
care of maternity patients and infants.

Nursery.—A room shall be provided as a nursery or each infant
must have adequate individual care.

(8) Incubators.—In every maternity hospital one incubator of * such
design and construction as shall be approved by the Board, shall be pro-
vided and maintained * for every ten or fraction thereof bassinets in the

ospital.

(9) Infected patients.—Isolation facilities shall be available and used
for the isolation of infected patients. All necessary precautions shall be
taken to prevent the spread of infection to other persons.

(10) Sanitation.—Adequate provision shall be made for sanitation,
general hygiene, and for the protection and handling of food.

(11) Vital statistics —A maternity hospital shall keep a current regis-
ter of births with all data required for the issuance of a birth certificate.
Such data shall be recorded within twenty-four hours after the admittance,
death or discharge of every mother; or after the birth, death or discharge
of every newborn infant. Such records shall be available to the Board, or
its agents, for inspection at all reasonable times.