A. 1. The Oklahoma Legislature finds that the delivery of health care services to the public including medically indigent persons will be enhanced through the establishment of community hospital public trust authorities and the creation of hospital districts pursuant to the Oklahoma Community Hospitals Public Trust Authorities Act.
2. The purpose of the Oklahoma Community Hospitals Public Trust Authorities Act is to provide maximum utilization and efficient administration in delivering health care services by hospital districts to the public including medically indigent persons, and to provide for supplemental Medicaid programs.
B. 1. A hospital or two or more hospitals located within a county or adjacent counties or located within a county or adjacent counties and a municipality may jointly create a public trust for the purposes of:
2. A hospital participating in the creation of a public trust must:
3. The boundaries of a community hospital public trust authority should be coextensive with the boundaries of a county or a group of member counties.
4. The county or counties or the county or counties and municipality in which a hospital district is established must approve and shall be the beneficiary of the public trust pursuant to the provisions of Sections 176 and 177 of Title 60 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
C. The instrument creating the public trust shall provide at a minimum:
1. The reasons for organizing and constituting a hospital district, including a statement that the community hospital public trust authority will comply with all applicable provisions of Sections 176 through 180.3 of Title 60 of the Oklahoma Statutes and the Oklahoma Community Hospitals Public Trust Authorities Act;
2. A statement that the public trust shall be separate and independent from the affairs of the beneficiary in all matters or activities authorized by the written instrument creating the public trust;
3. The names and corporate headquarters of each hospital located in the proposed hospital district;
4. The general patient loads of each hospital within the proposed hospital district and the anticipated number of medically indigent persons for whom medical services will be provided;
5. A concise description of the geographic boundaries to be embraced within the proposed hospital district;
6. A statement that the proposed hospital district is embracing only those lands within the proposed boundaries specified by paragraph 5 of this subsection which can reasonably and economically be served in the foreseeable future;
7. Assurance that all hospitals located within the hospital district which meet the eligibility criteria can participate in the public trust;
8. For the appointment, succession, powers, duties, terms and manner of removal of trustees;
9. For the appointment of at least five trustees as follows:
10. The time and place of the regular meetings and the manner in which special meetings may be called. A community hospital public trust authority shall keep a complete record of all its proceedings.
D. As a condition precedent, each community hospital public trust authority must receive approval from the Attorney General that the public trust is in the proper form.
E. A certified copy of the public trust agreement must be filed with the Secretary of State and with the court clerk of each beneficiary county and municipality.
F. Each public trust established pursuant to the Oklahoma Community Hospitals Public Trust Authorities Act shall not be amended without a two-thirds (2/3) vote of approval of the trustees of such trust.
Added by Laws 2003, c. 432, § 3, emerg. eff. June 7, 2003.