CHAPTER 54

An Act to amend and reenact §§ 82-298 and 87-254 as amended of the
Code of Virginia, relating to definitions under the “Virginia Hospital
Incensing and Inspection Law’ and to licensing of certain private
institutions, hospitals, or homes by the State Hospital Board.

[(S 56]
Approved February 20, 1964

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §§ 32-298 and 37-254 as amended of the Code of Virginia be
amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 32-298. As used in this chapter unless a different meaning or con-
struction is clearly required by the context or otherwise:

(1) ‘Person’ means and includes individual, partnership, association,
trust, corporation, municipality, county, and local governmental agencies,
and any other legal or commercial entity and every manager or operator
of a hospital embraced in this chapter, as requisite, excepting the United
States, its departments and employees, and agencies thereof solely owned
or directly controlled by it;

(2) “Hospital” means any institution, place, building or agency by
or in which facilities for any accommodation are maintained, furnished,
conducted, operated or offered for the hospitalization of two or more non-
related mentally or physically sick or injured persons, or for the care of
two or more nonrelated persons requiring or receiving medical or nursing
attention or service as chronics, convalescents, aged, disabled or crippled,
including, but not to the exclusion of other particular kinds with varying
nomenclature or designation, ordinary hospitals, sanatoriums, sanitariums,
rest homes, nursing homes, infirmaries and other related institutions and
undertakings, including institutions solely for care or treatment of persons
addicted to the use of alcohol but exclusive of maternity hospitals to the
extent same are included within the scope of the provisions of chap 10
of this title, so long as the licensing, inspection and supervisory provisions
thereof remain in full force and effect but no longer, and exclusive of dis-
pensary or first aid facilities maintained by any commercial or industrial
plant, educational institution or convent, and exclusive of those institu-
tions now or hereafter subject to control of the State Hospital Board, or
medical or educational institutions of the State, and exclusive also of any
home for indigent aged persons owned or operated by a county, city or
town, or by two or more political subdivisions jointly ;

(3) “Board” means the State Board of Health;

(4) “Commissioner” means the State Health Commissioner ;

(5) “Nonrelated” means not related by blood or marriage, ascending
or descending or first degree full or half collateral.

§ 37-254. The State Hospital Board may annually license any suitable
person to establish, maintain and operate, or to have charge of any pri-
vate institution, hospital or home for the care or treatment of mentally
ill, epileptic or mentally deficient persons, or persons addicted to the
intemperate use of narcotic drugs, alcohol or other stimulants; provided,
that no institution devoted solely to the care or treatment of persons ad-
dicted to the use of alcohol shall be required to obtain a license from the

oard.