§ 390. Admission of county patients. 1. Any person in the county in which the hospital is situated desiring treatment in such hospital, may apply in person to the superintendent or to any reputable physician for examination, and such physician, if he finds that said person is suffering from tuberculosis in any form, may apply to the superintendent of the hospital for his admission. Blank forms for such applications shall be provided by the hospital, and shall be forwarded by the superintendent thereof gratuitously to any reputable physician in the county, upon request. So far as practicable applications for admission to the hospital shall be made upon such forms. The superintendent of the hospital, upon the receipt of such application, if it appears therefrom that the patient is suffering from tuberculosis, and if there be a vacancy in the said hospital, shall notify the person named in such application to appear in person at the hospital. If, upon examination of such patient, or of any patient applying in person for admission, the superintendent is satisfied that such person is suffering from tuberculosis, he shall admit him to the hospital as a patient. All such applications shall be filed and recorded in a book kept for that purpose in the order of their receipt. When said hospital is completed and ready for the treatment of patients, or whenever thereafter there are vacancies therein, admissions to said hospital shall be made in the order in which the names of applicants shall appear upon the application book to be kept as above provided, in so far as such applicants are certified to by the superintendent to be suffering from tuberculosis. No discrimination shall be made in the accommodation, care or treatment of any patient because of the fact that the patient or his relatives contribute to the cost of his care and treatment in whole or in part, and no patient shall be permitted to pay for his care and treatment in such hospital a greater sum than the average per diem per capita cost of care and treatment therein and no officer or employee of such hospital shall accept from any clinic or hospital patient any fee, payment or gratuity whatsoever for his services.

2. Whenever a patient admitted to said hospital has local residence, as defined in the public health law, in the county in which the hospital is situated, he shall be a charge upon such county. If such patient admitted to said hospital has local residence in some other county or in the city of New York, he shall be a charge upon such other county or the city of New York, as the case may be, and the superintendent shall send a bill for such charge to the clerk of the board of supervisors of such other county or to the comptroller of the city of New York. Such charge shall be at a rate to be fixed by the board of managers, which shall not exceed the per diem per capita cost of care and treatment in said hospital, and if the county operating said hospital is currently receiving state aid for the care and treatment of tuberculosis patients pursuant to the public health law, such charge may be an amount for each day of such patient's care equivalent to the balance of the total per diem per capita cost of operating such hospital during the preceding fiscal year, as computed and approved by the state commissioner of health pursuant to subdivision three of section fifty-four of the public health law. Such bill shall be audited and paid by the board of supervisors of said county, except that a bill so submitted to the city of New York shall be paid by such city after audit and upon warrant of the comptroller of such city. Any patient admitted to said hospital may pay for his care and treatment in whole or in part if he volunteers to do so.