District of Columbia Code
Subchapter I - General
§ 44–704. Standards of indigency; emergency and semi-indigent patients

The Council of the District of Columbia shall establish from time to time reasonable standards of indigency for admission of patients to municipal hospitals of the District of Columbia; provided, that emergency and semi-indigent patients may be admitted to the general ward and tuberculosis ward of District of Columbia General Hospital on a full- or part-pay basis at such rates and under such regulations as may be established by the Council insofar as such admissions will not interfere with the admission of indigent patients; provided further, that the Mayor of the District of Columbia may enter into agreements with the States of Maryland and Virginia, or the political subdivisions thereof, for the care and treatment in such municipal hospitals of emergency patients who are indigent residents of such States or political subdivisions.
(June 27, 1942, 56 Stat. 441, ch. 452, § 1.)
1981 Ed., § 32-123.
1973 Ed., § 32-326.
Gallinger Municipal Hospital abolished: Gallinger Municipal Hospital was abolished and the functions thereof transferred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia by Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. Reorganization Order No. 57 of the Board of Commissioners, dated June 30, 1953, combined with Reorganization Order No. 52, District of Columbia Pound, dated June 30, 1953, and redesignated Organization Order No. 141, dated February 11, 1964, established under the direction and control of a Commissioner, a Department of Public Health headed by a Director, for the purpose of planning, implementing, and directing public health and hospital care programs, and for performing certain other allied medical and paramedical functions. Prior to its redesignation the Order abolished the previously existing Gallinger Municipal Hospital and Health Department and transferred all of their positions and functions to the new Department. It further provided that within the Department, the District of Columbia General Hospital performs all functions previously performed by Gallinger Municipal Hospital. The executive functions of the Board of Commissioners were transferred to the Commissioner of the District of Columbia by § 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967. Functions as stated in Organization Order No. 141 were transferred to the Director of the Department of Human Resources by Commissioner’s Order No. 69-96, dated March 7, 1969, as amended by Commissioner’s Order No. 70-83, dated March 6, 1970. Functions as stated in Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1979, dated February 21, 1980, were transferred to the Department of Human Services.
This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 402(252) of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to the District of Columbia Council, subject to the right of the Commissioner as provided in § 406 of the Plan. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.

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