Case Information
*1 . .
:.. .‘:: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Honorable Arnold Smith, Page '2
In the hospital without charge. The ~nstltutlon ala0 aooepte pay patients, and vi11 oontlnue to do ao until much tine am all I-WIIIS(IB~O required for paupera and Fndigenta. Novev*r, va have no realdent doctor at the hoapltal, no intern, no stook of drugs and no one at the hospital to fill preaorlptlona. Whsther or not a patient la In need of hoapitallz~tlon ia determIned by a doctor awl the auperlntandent, and vhen l lml%ed in thla mnner, ill expense is aared for and all aamloaa rendared through thin inatitut1on. Undar thla yatam, paupera vhaae namas appaar on tha roll, md indigenta vho preerantod thamaalvea to the OountT Judge for treatment or medlclna, have been amit to ona 0r the dooton - in moat OIaea to the County Health Oifloer. Where hoapltallaatlon vaa not needed, the doctor, to vhom the pauper or lndlganti vaa sent, ham treatad the patient rendered hla bill, and ths same ha been here t o- fore paid by the Coarmiaai~nera~ Court, for the maaon that ve maintain no Ch.h patient Clin.lc at thehoapltal, am heretofore at&ad.
'Ilov, vlth the foregoing faata befora you, plaaaa advise lr it is legal for th8 oamlaaion- arm* Court to pay the do&or for aar~oea rander- bd, and to purohaae nrsdlolne for pauper8 and in- dlganta, vhsn the condition of the patient doer not al for hoapltaliaatlon.g
Opinion lo. O-2633 of this dapartmnt, addreaaad tha County Auditor of Nontgomary Oounty Texas, holda that ii tha oomlaalonara * court dakrm.l.nea that ui lndlgant la a mu- par, may furnlah pbdioal rid and rttantlon to him am w&h mgardlaaa o? vhather he ham bean plaaad upontha pauper roll of tha aounty or not; fkrthenuore, auoh oourt haa authority to mend lndlgant al&, vho may or ray not ba paupers, to public hoapltala vlthin tha oounty; ad that vhather person la a pauper or an Indigent la a qusatlon of faot to be determlnad by aaid oourt. Urn enoloae herevlth a copy of aald opinion.
Opinion No. O-2422 or this department alao addraaaed to the County Auditor Nontgomry County, few, holda nelthar tha aoamlaalonbrat oourt nor thb Board of Nanngara of the county Hospital of wontgomary County, Texas, have suthorlty *3 Honorable Arnold Smith, Pago > to allov olalma of vlaltlng physiclana for vork dons for charity
petlonta at the County Hoapltal. Us enclose hercntlth a ooyy of Tpplnian lo. O-2422 OS thla &partmant. Ye quota frcm aaId opln- la0 88 fo~ewt
*It is oloarly 8,ppment tha lav eoxktam- plates that ooumty hoaplU vi11 ba aalf-cupgort- lag lnpa.rt&wf.llalaaba upportedbytho aounty. Patlaata vho am able vlll pay for thaLr mintan- anoe lntha ootmtybollpitala but no patio&till be pordtted to pay a greater
atm than iha rv*nga par oaplh ooat of wtananaa t&rein, mudlag 8 no- wtmbla 8llovuma intmnat on thotptmt of the hoapltal. C??leara and ~oyeaa of wnmty boa- plt8l8 arm prohiW.tadfrcnaooapting faoa,xmymttta or gntulU88 fra patlanta for their wrvlua. %o dl8artslnatfutt Ia to k mde betvwtt ud nabpaylag patients. (Artiola 4&5&Ky
“TIM aalarioa of the auparbtendutta am4 all otharo??loen uvleaployoaa oftba aeuutyhoapit8l m?lxadbytbabcmMandmuatbavlthlnthallmLt
o r tan l ppriaprlatlon aada thanfor by the o4lr188iOl%- on atmrt. llueh aalarlaa ahll ba aompetuatLon In full fo r all l *rvl.oea rattderad. (Articrle 4480, altpra). Btaboard ahallalwappolnta 82fUf of vlaltiagphpI- alana vim ah3.l wrva v1tbout pay rrml tha ooanty.
(Art1d.a 4480, wpra)..
Its.8 ouropimlatwmttha atatutea ootltaplatothat ~pr~n~~~tavhoolr~~ringfmr~~8, dla~8a or injuqradlnnaed a?hoocrpitall.%stLoa should, ln80- hoapltal8. Am point84 iat- u pzaatiwbla, k WuIt to the WJull p: out in opuriaa Bo, 3-2422 tb6 oataty YOU 4 not be 1-8 for the claltaa oi tha boa it1 ~aloma Tar taking eara of mush patients. Q
The oclslliaaionara wurt is authorirad to apprqwlate noamy ror tkn tdmaamm0 tba cwtnty H98plta.l nti pointed out in OrAnion b. O-2422. Art1018 44Jl3, arpra, authorlsea tfu oomiaaioturat cart to mend ~2ttd3gent lck' m or m y not ba q p8upn* to the eouttty hocrpitrl,
Ua t&xl& if a pauper 18 1.11 or lnjumwl and th0 cosniamitxwn~ oourt thhka sot reaalbla to trut him rt tha *4 , . -
Honorable Arnold SRlth, PCqe 4 example if the mupar were asrlouoly
county hoapltrl, as for ltvouldmtbe safe to camyhlmto lnjuradathla barr and oourtvouldulearly wmIaalonan’ thr, cQ#v ff?fa+'"L -f _ uva autho~tytoprorrdemadl~lald farhlm8thlaham and vould have alerr authority to furnlah hbu vlth nwoaaary aedi- dnea. Therm am perhaps many lnatmnaaa in vhlab tha ocmmia- l lonara* oourta vould brva authority to aId psupan by z\II?pLah- ing aedlaal aid and madlcSnaa to tLam at places othar than tha wunty hoapltal and vb cannot ham attercpt to onume~ta auoh lnatanaea .
Inumrarto your quoatlonyouaro n8paotfullyrd- vlaad that it is tha oplnlon 0s this Cepartmnt that utvlar the smote atatod tha ooaniaaIonara~ oourt rhould not pey tha vlalt- lng ph yalcS.ana for l arvicea rendwad fo r pupsrr and LP digsnta at the County Xb8pita.l. It is our fwthar opinion th8t It is vithin the wund diaaretIatt 0s aomalaaS.omra~ oourt am vhathar or not thay vill Sbrnlah madloal rid and mbloirua to paupenand~methojrthaywllladoptinturntebiag(lll0hmdi- ml. old and mdloinaa. Itlsowiurth4rapinlanLht~~a vho arm iadi@artta but vho am not paupara me.y be sent to tha County~apltal far trwtmnt, M authorhad by Artiala 4438, V.A.T.C.6.1 ve do not thhk auah parmma not 0caupySng the status OS wra oould ba l0gaU.y aided u paupara undar See- tlon 11 of Artlala 2351, V.A.T.C.U.
Tlw diati.natim boWeon psogtrf.881 and m not tonmtltutlagpall&mFbimr~k va~difflotitta &tomlru and tbllnom~behud todrrv lnmug Ia8taaeoabutupainted out in opinion lo. o-2633 thi8 10 a matter th4 aomlaaiott- era* wurt to defermfm in It8 sound dtaaretlon.
TntatLng this aatiafa43torlly anavoro your S.muirY, va are
Wm. J. P-nning