In any county in which there is no county hospital, or a county hospital is leased to a nonprofit or governmental hospital organization pursuant to section 376.06, subdivision 1, or 447.47, the county board may appropriate and pay money from the general fund of the county, for the construction, maintenance, and operation of a private, nonprofit, or public hospital in the county for the treatment of sick, diseased, and injured persons. Admission preference shall always be given to patients who are, in whole or in part, public charges, and are sent to the hospital by the county board.
History:(683) 1913 c 123 s 1; 1985 c 109 s 10; 1989 c 92 s 1; 2001 c 214 s 9