Sec. 8. (a) This section applies to a county where a city hospital is operated under IC 16-23-1.

(b) A county hospital may be created by an order of the county executive without filing a petition or holding an election.

(c) The county executive may create a hospital association under IC 16-22-6.

(d) An appointing board shall be formed to appoint the members of the governing board of the county hospital. The appointing board shall consist of three (3) members, as follows:

(1) The executive of the city where the city hospital is located.

(2) The judge of the circuit court of the county.

(3) A member of the county executive chosen by the county executive of the county.

(e) Each member must take and subscribe an oath for the honest and faithful performance of the member's duties, which shall be filed in the auditor's office of the county.

(f) Subject to subsection (g), the governing board consists of seven (7) members with the following qualifications:

(1) At least five (5) members must be qualified voters in the county.

(2) Not more than two (2) members may be licensed physicians.

(3) One (1) member may be a registered nurse licensed to practice in Indiana.

(g) Not more than two (2) members of a governing board appointed under this section may reside in a county other than the county in which the hospital is located. A member who is not a resident of the county in which the hospital is located must:

(1) be an Indiana resident; and

(2) be appointed upon a submission made under section 11 of this chapter by the governing board of the hospital to the appointing authority.

(h) Initial and subsequent appointments to the hospital board shall be made for staggered terms ending on February 1 to coincide with the terms of members of the city hospital board of directors created by IC 16-23-1.

(i) The appointing board members may serve without bond. The regular meeting of the appointing board for the appointment of members to the hospital board shall be on the third Monday in January of each year following the year of the initial appointments. The meeting may adjourn periodically until the appointments for all expired or vacant memberships are made. Vacancies occurring on the hospital board may be filled at a special meeting of the appointing board called by the county auditor or by two (2) members of the appointing board on five (5) days notice to all appointing board members, or without notice if all of the appointing board members are present at the meeting. Each meeting of the appointing board shall be held at the county executive's room of the county, unless by unanimous consent the board determines to hold the meeting at another location.

(j) The county executive shall choose the board's member of the appointing board each year following the year of initial appointments at the board's regular January meeting.

(k) The governing board may operate the county hospital jointly with the city hospital operated in the same county under IC 16-23-1. The joint operation may include joint employment of an administrator and other personnel, joint policies, joint purchases, joint services, and other programs to deliver health care at a reduced cost. The governing board of the county hospital may contract with the governing board of the city hospital to allocate revenues and expenditures and for the administration of the hospitals, but records must be kept that reflect the separate ownership, financial obligations, and existence of the county hospital and the city hospital.

[Pre-1993 Recodification Citations: 16-12.1-8-1; 16-12.1-8-2; 16-12.1-8-4; 16-12.1-8-5.]

As added by P.L.2-1993, SEC.5. Amended by P.L.91-2002, SEC.6 and P.L.100-2002, SEC.6; P.L.80-2011, SEC.6.