West Virginia Code Chapter 26. State Benevolent Institutions § 26-8-1. Continuation; management; superintendent; qualifications of superintendent; division of fiscal, administrative and clinical duties; certain persons exempted from qualification requirements

(a) The hospitals heretofore established and known, respectively, as Welch emergency hospital and Fairmont emergency hospital shall be continued and shall be managed, directed and controlled as prescribed in article eleven, chapter twenty-six of this code: Provided, That the hospital established as Fairmont emergency hospital and later renamed the Marion health care hospital shall henceforth be known as the John Manchin, Sr., health care center and any reference in this code to the Fairmont emergency hospital or the Marion health care hospital shall mean the John Manchin, Sr., health care center.

(b) The chief executive officer of each of said hospitals shall be the superintendent, who shall be a college graduate and have a minimum of two years' experience in either hospital administration, health services administration or business administration with broad knowledge of accounting, purchasing and personnel practices as related to the rendition of health and health-related services.

(c) For purposes of this section, “superintendent” means the person having the fiscal responsibility of the hospital and the authority to manage and administer the financial, business and personnel affairs of the hospital. “Clinical director” means the person having the responsibility for decisions involving clinical and medical treatment of patients and who shall be a duly qualified physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of West Virginia.

(d) The provisions of this section relating to the qualification of persons eligible to serve as superintendent shall not apply to any person serving in the capacity of business manager on the effective date hereof and who has served in such capacity for at least six consecutive months next preceding such effective date.