NY Gen Mun L § 135-B (2021)
2021 New York Laws GMU - General Municipal Article 6 - Public Health and Safety 135-B - Departments of Occupational Therapy in Connection With Public General Hospitals and Tuberculosis Hospitals or Sanatoria.

§ 135-b. Departments of occupational therapy in connection with public   general hospitals and tuberculosis hospitals or sanatoria. Any municipal   corporation  maintaining  a  public  general  hospital  or a hospital or   sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis under the provisions of any   general or special law may establish, equip and maintain, in  connection   therewith, a department of occupational therapy. For the purpose of this   section  occupational  therapy  is  defined  as  any activity, mental or   physical, prescribed, guided or  supervised  for  any  patient  for  the   purpose  of  contributing  to and hastening his recovery from disease or   injury. The appropriate municipal authorities may appropriate or provide   funds  for  the  establishment,  equipment   and   operation   of   such   occupational   therapy  departments  in  the  same  manner  as  for  the   establishment, equipment and operation of such public general hospitals,   tuberculosis  hospitals  or   sanatoria.   Such   occupational   therapy   department  shall  be  under the general superintendence, management and   control of the municipal authority, board of managers, or  other  agency   having  general  superintendence,  management  and control of the public   general hospital, tuberculosis hospital or sanatorium to which it may be   attached.The  chief  medical  officer  of   such   public   general   hospital,   tuberculosis  hospital  or sanatorium shall have authority to employ one   or more occupational therapists to carry on the work of such  department   under  his supervision. The qualifications of occupational therapists so   employed shall be defined by  the  public  health  and  health  planning   council.The chief medical officer of the institution may sell any article made   or  manufactured  by any patient in his prescribed curative work carried   on in such occupational therapy department to such patient upon  payment   by such patient to such chief medical officer of a sum not less than the   cost  of  the  material or materials from which such article was made or   manufactured. Such chief medical officer may, in behalf of any  patient,   dispose  of  any  article,  made  or  manufactured  by him, at public or   private sale, and from moneys derived from the sale of such  article  he   may  pay  to  the patient such portion thereof that the residue shall at   least equal the cost of the material or materials.Except in the case of hospitals or sanatoria  maintained  by  counties   having  a  county  purchasing  agent,  the municipal authority, board of   managers, or other agency having general superintendence, management and   control of  such  public  general  hospital,  tuberculosis  hospital  or   sanatorium,  may  place  the moneys accruing to the occupational therapy   department, from the two sources hereinabove mentioned, in a fund, to be   known as "The Occupational Therapy Fund. " The moneys in  such  fund  at   any  time shall not exceed the sum of five hundred dollars. All receipts   in excess of such sum, or all receipts, if such fund be not established,   shall be paid into the treasury of the municipal  corporation  operating   such   hospital   or  sanatorium.  The  chief  medical  officer  of  the   institution may directly purchase with  moneys  from  "The  Occupational   Therapy  Fund,"  if  such  a  fund  shall  have  been  established, such   materials, in addition to those  provided  for  the  operation  of  such   occupational  therapy  department  as  hereinabove  authorized,  as  are   necessary to the proper functioning of such department.The chief medical officer may, in his discretion and if he deems  such   course  to  be in the best interest of any patient, temporarily withhold   any or all moneys earned by such patient and shall give such  moneys  to   such patient upon discharge.