Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1946 )

746 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN :ron. otto ?rlttaln xtunty Auditor Lnesllna county Lutklzl, Tel88 war 3lrt . Oplnlon Eo. O-7163 ,*? zet ?oymnt OS County Hbalth Ctfi,aaar for vloltlng and traat+a patients inu the opinion ot thlt yott from y3ur letter *Order hrttialox0. xrioer; we find with the daty of ho8pltalr, naDnq elthtr of tht fianaqtn or oi v t when quanntlne hee been established an4 he la aotually enqsged in euoh semloee. county ``ys:olene shell In all querentlr.es estsbllsb rulea In !z~rnoay and aacor4 xlth the rules greaorlbed by the ‘tat8 health oiflO0r; ahall respeot and obey lurtmotlone rrom said officer and makewritten report8 to bin of their otflolal ecta, whenever required to 40 so, Tlvinq cauee and hlrtory or epldatic, number of deeths and rooooerles, and 811 other faate or oole:.tlflo value. “:reotlon 13. :?hencver the Comlsslonera oourt of any courty has re&son to bellarc! tbnt. ther are tflrcataned ht any ;5lat or plaoe wlthin or Ikltbout the county llalta with the Introduction or dleeemlnrtlon of n ben,;snus, oonter;lous or lnfeatioua Ulaease that otm and shall bo suertied against by quarantlae, dlreat tholr county ohysl- ciao to declero and nalntaln 5ald quarantlce aealmt any 8r.d 011 auoh dah~erous dlseaeea; to aatebllrh. melnteln 0n4 sue- ;ly stetlonb -or oaxps 1or t&s held In qkrent!nc; to cm- !izmees for vlh kosplttls. teat-d,01 !,:est thoae rltoky coJtnzl>ua 2nd l.nl0ctious dieessa; to iumlsh gnrldona, ~aiolce and oil other t!zirzs aheolutelt essential for the comfort of t.he well an4 the nomelesoen~o of the nlok. The county ohyslolnn 5holl keep an 1texlzeC aooount of 811 law- tni ez~enses, ?:: ourred by loon1 quarmtlno, and Fls oxr,ty eke11 sssum ?nd :‘ap them 08 other olalns e+l.wt the oounty are said. itsertarsd oltlae an3 towna are eabraoad within the ;urvlew of tkls article, ant?the aere feet of ln- c~rpoxntlor? doea not exolude the.. from the pxoteatlon o@e!nut egldeslo dlsensea nlran by the Coernlselonera court to other parts of their reepeotlre oountles. The xedlaal offloers of o3artered oltles and towns ean perrorm the dutlae ~rcnted or comanded In their aererel ckmem, but mist, (if t?ie 03uztg ;t,yslolar. 1s sot, 5s le fre~qtmntly the o&se, the olty phyel- elan, 8150, j be eznenable and obedient to rules presorlbed by the Xeto health offlo@r. 21s nrtlole, however, nust not be oocatrued as ?rohlbltlnn any lnooroorated town or olty iroa dtolerlnq, salntalnlno and ~aylnq for 8 looal quarantine. -. . . . . “::eotlon19. There beI.?% no law u-on tho subSeat of ~u6rantlr:o ndeoueto to the protection -10 !eoltb, and ttt ncc ;: s;?:..mach ot the season 3f the year w?.an qufiraatlne iv111 ?,ave to be Geelazed, II ;ubllc necasalty znd .5n eaex?xenoy erl;ts ( rcquirln;: the su3penslon of tno oonetltutlanal rule requlrin% bllio ta SC mat? on t?.r@e aevaml deya, and that t:As act tnke effrot 1135 be 12 ror9e fro2 9rtd after Its pxi- 30 '.;d , r3r.e it '.z :%o cncctrd.” (xderscorlnq 3urs) 750 ‘-on. C’tto C-rlttaln - ?sqw 5 Thw above quoted grovlelon oocatltutew a portion of Cbe :,zwenaotcd lo lU?l upon the subjeot ot qunrent.?nseew ~11 se the 9?9lloable 9mv1s1oa4 wlth rerersnce to the appointment sad thw duties or 4 county ``yelalsn. It 1s menlfwat _ - that -.-the above . ~.quoted _ yrovlsims wlth mr4rm00 to V144~ltau`` ozmespr4tea mob -:loepi- teds, teats or pest housee’- thet were to be ~rovlcled in oocneotlon the eetsbllshmect OS quarentlnee. '-r4 .iJlth cots rurther tPat the above mentioned &mvlelons were lnaoted grlor to the enaotaeat or tne statutes deelin+~with the subjeat of "oounty hoepitale* now con- tsir,etlln Chapter 3, Title 71, ~.rtlol4s 4.478.449li.V.A.C.3. -'ilthrefereme to the oompensctlon of the County melth :rtloer who is required by law to perroristhe autler presorlbed by :rtlole MN, we 0~11 ymr attentlon to tbe following lanmsgw ooa- taincd in Artlo 6423: *!ha~eaeetlonor eald oounty health ofiloer ehall be ill46 by the ,COmaiO8iOn4X'S * Court; ~mvlded that tm oon9ensatlon or aalsry shall be allowed exoept for aer- ~104s uoturLlg rendersd." Zmgter 5, Xtle 71 whlob lroludee i~rtiloleu 4478-44941, ‘I .n - ..;S.-.:.,oontsins the various 9mvi4ion4 with rererwnoe to the oub- loot of County 508pltele. ‘:‘acall you: attention in jx1rtloul4rto the follonlnc;provision oontained lo Xrtlole 44&Q. Thw board shall also a 9wint e etarf ot vlaitlng physloiaas prbo shall serve wPthO:at pay from the mu&y, and who ehall vfslt and treat hospital patients at thw request wither of the mi~sgers or oi th8 ruperlnt6ndent.* "'aturthwr oall your stteatl~a to the imvisione of Artlole 4489: w:hwrev6r a oouatf hoapltel for the oare and trwstnent of pwrsolis~ :~..kkrlaarmm any lllnwss, dlr4es4 or 1nJury wrists in oonneotlon wifth,or on the grounds 0r a oounty poorkouse or wlsewherw, the omm1eelonw~* oourt shall ap- point a board of reanagwrs for suoh hospital, end suoh !IOS- ?ltal end ite boerd o,'senaqere shall ttlerearter bw subjeot to esoh 9rovlslon of this law, 12 lllcomnnar es if lt bed been orirlnally estabLIshed herewzder. .i:ly hossitnl zhloh m-3y !k.w:onl‘ter be sstnbllshed by snp csm%alsizwzsC3'oourt shell in like m!mar be subjeot to raoh >rsvmm of th?s 1IiW:' (%dwrsoorlnir ours) Tn view of tflo vnrl:>ctl ``wl~lxzs d the atatuteo dealin:: with County '*:os9itels, and In view of tte above undsrlinwd lm~ua~e, lt 1s .q;>parent that !i.:!. 353, 2. 39, i;ots of the "eKulsr ~wsslon 31 tha Xnd Lw&slature, lii13 (now .:rtlolws ``470-4634) was lnt4ndwd to :-x l l 3tto GrltteIs - !'SvO 6 eubr7ow all the law upon lb4 aubjeot 3r oouaty hzspltals. '-4 note !.erw tbnt Artlolw 5127, wbloh oontalne owrtaln provlrlona with rclerwnae to the County leelth Oifloer*s oarlae for gatlenta in "hosgltsls* ~rovlded by thw oouatf (la oomeotlm rlth quannticea) x9s derlvwa rn.5 the :,ot8 of th4 1st Called twssloa oi thw 3lat ;.0;i313turer1509, 3. 3443. In 39 Texas ,turispmd4no4, :*%stutws", co. 50, ,3.14P, It 1~ s:atedr Thwzw it lo ap~erslltthmta statute Is tntend4dto wznbraowall ttlrlo* up03 the subjwot with whioh it d44h, lt re?eala all.iars!ar lnwr rwlatlnq to the Scunwsubjcot." :n view or the i9re,-olnff, It 14 our 03Inlon that those ?rovIeIOns mit~incd lr,~rt?ol4 4420 with vwferwnaw to thw vlsltlniz and treat- IS? of Fetlwnta In any hosgltal eotahllshea by the Oocntp, super- CR~TCSthat y2ortlJn or Art1014 4427 whloh p~0vid46 t*t tL4 county .:ealth rjtf'lowr should oar8 1~ ~stletts Ia hospitsJs 3rovlded by ?:a County a,?dwt:loh authorized the ~Ommls8loners' 3ourt to oompwa- ;;stw hk3 therer3r. You rtated la your lett4r that thW staff OS vlsitlng 9hf- siolms which he6 bwen a?pol!?ted uldwr the provIsI3~4 of :rtlalw 6430 ~44 n3 lonoer i3not:oalzisj and ttat t>w 44rvlo4~ forasrly ge.r--_ ronzed by eeld 4t4rr 3r v:sitm 2::ydoisn8 wi24aok 94rio134c!by 30 7ouni.yYealth Orffowr, ulkowxpecte to r4ciwive gay rms t34 oounty for a~oh c4rplows. 'w note tht under the I,rOVlStCClSOf ``rtlole4480, thw board 3i n4nagera 15 required to apI7olnt E mtrr or visltlag ?hy- slolane *who a!-sllrialt sad treat h08pltal.pnt.Ienteat the mqu84f Of eltbwr the ma-4 or the superlatendent.m 'i:e n0te rumor tba suoh staff OS visltlng pzywlafans Yhall serve without par fr0t the omnte.* b3rwover, we rind a3 provlafon authorlzlng the 4r~4ndltur4 Of oxmty run64 for the ewn:owa of 0 doutor who vlslt3 end trerts such 9atlente who h4v4been ea~lttwa t0 the oouuty bo4pit41, even th0uxh the 4tarr or vls1t:n.r phy~lOl~Q~ above rots rcaa to no longer ru20tian4.