§ 385. Establishment of county tuberculosis hospitals. 1. The board of supervisors of every county in the state containing a population of thirty-five thousand or more, as determined by the latest federal census, shall establish, as hereinafter provided, a county hospital for the care and treatment of persons suffering from the disease known as tuberculosis, unless there already exists in such county a hospital or institution provided by the county or other authority and caring for persons suffering from tuberculosis, which is approved by the state commissioner of health, or the board of supervisors of such county except in a county wherein a site for such hospital has been approved by the state commissioner of health prior to the taking effect of this article, shall have entered into a contract prior to November first, nineteen hundred twenty, for the care of its tuberculosis patients with an adjoining county having such county hospital or with a private sanatorium within its county or shall join prior to November first, nineteen hundred twenty, with one or more other counties in the establishment and maintenance of such county hospital as hereinafter provided. Such county hospital, except a hospital established and maintained by two or more counties, shall be available for patients on or before the first day of July, nineteen hundred eighteen. All expenditures incurred by the state commissioner of health for and in connection with the location, construction and operation of such hospital, shall be a charge upon the county, and provision shall be made for the payment therefor by the board of supervisors of such county in the same manner as in the case of other charges against the county. At any time after such hospital has been in operation, the board of supervisors in such county may appoint a board of managers for such hospital, pursuant to the provisions of this article and thirty days after the appointment of such board of managers by such board of supervisors, such hospital shall be transferred to such board of managers, and such board of managers shall thereafter possess and exercise all the powers of the board of managers of a county hospital for tuberculosis under this article, and the state commissioner of health shall be relieved from any responsibility therefor except such responsibility as he exercises in regard to all county tuberculosis hospitals under the provisions of this article. 2. When deemed advisable by the board of supervisors and approved by the state commissioner of health, any such county may maintain more than one county hospital for the care and treatment of persons suffering from tuberculosis. The board of supervisors of any other county shall have power by a majority vote to establish a county hospital for the care and treatment of persons suffering from the disease known as tuberculosis. 3. When the board of supervisors of any county shall have voted to establish such hospital, the board of supervisors shall:

(a) Purchase or lease real property therefor, or acquire such real property, and easements therein, by appropriate proceedings, in the manner prescribed by the eminent domain procedure law, in any town, city or village in the county.

(b) Erect all necessary buildings and alter any buildings, on the property when acquired for the use of said hospital, provided that the location of the buildings and the plans and such part of the specifications as shall be required by the state commissioner of health for such erection or alteration together with the initial equipment shall first be approved by the state commissioner of health. Any changes in such location or plans shall also be first approved by the state commissioner of health and the state commissioner of health and his duly authorized representatives shall have the power to inspect such county hospitals during the course of their construction for the purpose of seeing that such plans are complied with.

(c) Cause to be assessed, levied and collected such sums of money as it shall deem necessary for suitable lands, buildings and improvements for said hospital, and for the maintenance thereof, and for all other necessary expenditures therefor; or may finance expenditures for the erection of such hospital and for the purchase of a site therefor pursuant to the provisions of the local finance law.

(d) Appoint a board of managers for said hospital as hereinafter provided.

(e) Accept and hold in trust for the county, any grant or devise of land, or any gift or bequest of money or other personal property, or any donation to be applied, principal or income, or both, for the benefit of said hospital, and apply the same in accordance with the terms of the gift.

(f) Whenever it shall deem it in the public interest so to do, and notwithstanding the provisions of any other general or special act, change the location of such hospital and acquire a new site by purchase, lease or condemnation, as provided in this section, and establish the hospital thereon.