..
:.. .‘::
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~tlonia determIned by a doctor
awl the auperlntandent,and vhen llml%ed in thla
mnner, ill expense is aared for and all aamloaa
rendared through thin inatitut1on. Undar thla
lyatam, paupera vhaae namas appaar on tha roll,
md indigentavho preerantodthamaalvea 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 lndlgantivaa sent, ham treatad the patient
rendered hla bill, and ths same ha been hereto-
fore paid by the Coarmiaai~nera~Court, for the
maaon that ve maintain no Ch.hpatient Clin.lcat
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 nrsdlolnefor pauper8 and in-
dlganta, vhsn the condition of the patient doer
not al for hoapltaliaatlon.g
Opinion lo. O-2633of this dapartmnt, addreaaad to
tha County Auditor of Nontgomary Oounty Texas, holda that ii
tha oomlaalonara * court dakrm.l.neathat ui lndlgant la a mu-
par, it 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
hoapltalavlthin tha oounty; ad that vhather l person la a
pauper or an Indigent la a qusatlon of faot to be determlnad
by aaid oourt. Urnenoloae herevlth a copy of aald opinion.
Opinion No. O-2422 or this department alao addraaaed
to the County Auditor of Nontgomry County, few, holda that
nelthar tha aoamlaalonbratoourt nor thb Board of Nanngara of
the county Hospital of wontgomary County, Texas, have suthorlty
Honorable Arnold Smith, Pago >
to allov olalma of vlaltlng physiclana for vork dons for charity
petlonta at the County Hoapltal. Us enclose hercntltha ooyy of
Tpplnianlo. O-2422 OS thla &partmant. Ye quota frcm aaId opln-
la0 88 fo~ewt
*It is oloarly 8,ppment that tha lav eoxktam-
plates that ooumty hoaplU vi11 ba aalf-cupgort-
lag lnpa.rt&wf.llalaaba lupportedbytho aounty.
Patlaatavho am able vlll pay for thaLr mintan-
anoe lntha ootmtybollpitalabut 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 for tha 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. (Artiola4&5&Ky
“TIM aalarioa of the auparbtendutta am4 all
otharo??loen uvleaployoaa oftba aeuutyhoapit8l
m?lxadbytbabcmMandmuatbavlthlnthallmLt
o r ta nlppriaprlatlon aada thanfor by the o4lr188iOl%-
on atmrt. llueh aalarlaa ahll ba aompetuatLonIn
full fo ra lll*rvl.oea rattderad. (Articrle4480, 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-
iat-u pzaatiwbla, k WuIt to the WJull hoapltal8. Am point84
out in opuriaa Bo, 3-2422 tb6 oataty YOU p:4 not be 1-8 for the
claltaaoi tha boa it1 ~aloma Tar taking eara of mush patients.
The oclslliaaionara Q wurt is authorirad to apprqwlate noamy ror
tkn tdmaamm0 of tba cwtnty H98plta.lntipointed out in OrAnion
b. O-2422. Art1018 44Jl3,arpra, authorlsea tfu oomiaaioturat
c a r tto mend ~2ttd3gentllck' m or m y not b a q p 8up n*
to the eoutttyhocrpitrl,
Ua t&xl& that if a pauper 18 1.11or lnjumwl and th0
cosniamitxwn~ oourt thhka it sot reaalbla to trut him rt tha
, . -
HonorableArnold SRlth, PCqe 4
county hoapltrl, as for example if the mupar were asrlouoly
lnjuradathla barr and ltvouldmtbe safe to camyhlmto
thr,cQ#v ff?fa+'"L-f _wmIaalonan’ oourtvouldulearly
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-
llo na r a *
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 attercptto onume~ta auoh
lnatanaea.
Inumrarto your quoatlonyouaro n8paotfullyrd-
vlaad that it is tha oplnlon 0s this Cepartmnt that utvlarthe
smote atatod tha ooaniaaIonara~ oourt rhould not pey tha vlalt-
lng p h y a lc S.afor
na la r vic ear endwa d fo r pupsrr a nd LP d ig snta
at the County Xb8pita.l. It is our fwthar opinion th8t It is
vithin the wund diaaretIatt0s tha aomalaaS.omra~oourt am to
vhathar or not thay vill Sbrnlah madloal rid and mbloirua to
paupenand~methojrthaywllladoptinturntebiag(lll0hmdi-
ml. old and mdloinaa. Itlsowiurth4rapinlanLht~~a
vho arm iadi@arttabut vho am not paupara me.ybe 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.natimboWeon 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 for th4 aomlaaiott-
era* wurt to defermfm in It8 sound dtaaretlon.
TntatLng that this aatiafa43torlly anavoro your S.muirY,
va are
Wm. J. P-nning