(A) The board of hospital governors shall, with the consent and approval of the joint township district hospital board and as provided by sections 513.07 to 513.18 of the Revised Code, prepare plans and specifications, and may employ technical assistance if necessary, and proceed to erect, furnish, and equip necessary buildings for a joint township general hospital. Except where the hospital of the district is leased pursuant to section 513.171 of the Revised Code, such board of governors shall appoint and fix the compensation of a suitable person to be superintendent of the hospital for such period of time as it determines, and shall employ and fix the compensation for such nurses and other employees as are necessary for the proper conduct of the hospital. Subject to the direction of the board of governors and to the rules prescribed by it, any such superintendent shall have complete charge and control of the operation of such hospital. The superintendent shall prepare and submit to the board of governors, quarterly, a statement showing the average daily per capita cost for the current expense of maintaining and operating such hospital, including the cost of ordinary repairs.

(B)

(1) For purposes of division

(B)(2) of this section, "bank" has the same meaning as in section 1101.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) The board of hospital governors may enter into a contract for a secured line of credit with a bank if the contract meets all of the following requirements:

(a) The term of the contract does not exceed one hundred eighty days.

(b) The contract provides that any amount extended must be repaid in full before any additional credit can be extended.

(c) The contract provides that the bank shall not commence a civil action against the joint township district hospital board, any member of the board, board of township trustees, township, or board of county commissioners to recover the principal, interest, or any charges or other amounts that remain outstanding on the secured line of credit at the time of any default by the board of hospital governors.

(d) The contract provides that no assets other than those of the hospital can be used to secure the line of credit.

(e) The terms and conditions of the contract comply with all state and federal statutes and rules governing the extension of a secured line of credit.

(3) Any obligation incurred by a board of hospital governors under this division is an obligation of that board only and not a general obligation of the joint township district hospital board, board of county commissioners, county, board of township trustees, or township within the meaning of division (Q) of section 133.01 of the Revised Code.

(4) No board of hospital governors shall at any time have more than one secured line of credit under this section.

(C) The board of hospital governors may grant to its employees such of the following as it determines to be customary and usual in the nonprofit hospital field in its community:

(1) Paid vacation and holiday leave, for holidays listed in section 511.10 of the Revised Code, and other benefits for full-time employees;

(2) Vacation leave and holiday pay for part-time employees on a pro rata basis;

(3) Leave with full pay due to death in the employee's immediate family, which shall not be deducted from the employee's accumulated sick leave;

(4) Premium pay for working on holidays listed in section 511.10 of the Revised Code;

(5) Moving expenses for new employees;

(6) Discounts on purchases from the hospital pharmacy;

(7) Discounts on hospital supplies and services.

The board of hospital governors may provide employee recognition awards and hold employee recognition dinners.

The board of hospital governors may provide scholarships for education in the health care professions, tuition reimbursement, and other staff development programs to enhance the skills of health care professionals for the purpose of recruiting or retaining qualified employees.

The board of hospital governors may pay reasonable expenses for recruiting physicians into the district or for retaining them if all or part of the district has been designated as an area with a shortage of personal health services under the "Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973," 87 Stat. 914, 42 U.S.C. 300e, as amended.

(D) The members of the board of governors shall serve without compensation, but their necessary expenses, when engaged in the business of the hospital board, shall be paid by the joint township district hospital board.

(E) The board of hospital governors with the approval of the county commissioners may employ counsel and institute legal action in its own name for the collection of delinquent accounts. The board may also employ any other lawful means for the collection of delinquent accounts. Counsel employed under this section shall be paid from the hospital's funds.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §130.21, eff. 1/1/2018.

Effective Date: 08-06-2004 .