State Codes and Statutes

Statutes > West-virginia > 16 > 16-4-19

§16-4-19. Voluntary submission to examination and treatment; charges; disposition of money collected.
Any resident of the state may at any time report to any municipal or county health officer having jurisdiction of the case, and voluntarily submit himself to all tests and examination as are necessary to ascertain whether in fact the person submitting himself for examination is infected with a venereal disease; and said health officer to whom any party has applied as above for tests and examination shall provide for making all such tests and examinations as are necessary to ascertain whether in fact said party so applying be so infected with a venereal disease. If such tests and examinations show said party so applying to be so infected, then said party shall elect whether he will take treatment of a private physician, or whether he will take treatment to be provided by the health officer through a clinic or otherwise, and if he elects to take treatment through the local health officer's arrangement, he may be required to pay for such treatment at a charge which shall in no case exceed the sum of five dollars for each dose of "neo" or arsphenamine administered for syphilis, and at a nominal cost for other medicines used; but if the patient is unable to pay anything, he shall be treated free of charge under the direction of the local health officer, at a clinic or otherwise. All proper charges for such examination and treatment as may be necessary hereunder shall be a proper charge against the municipality or county, as the case may be, whether said party so taking treatment lived in or out of a municipal corporation. And whether said person proposing to take treatment as provided hereunder elect to take from a private physician or elect to take treatment under the direction of the local health officer, he shall first sign the agreement required to be signed by persons about to be released from detention or quarantine, and shall observe all its provisions, and so long as such person so signing shall so observe these provisions he need not be detained or quarantined pending treatment, except that no person who is known as a prostitute, or as a person associating with such, or as a person who resides in any house having the reputation of being a house of prostitution, or who frequents the same, shall be allowed at liberty if infected with a venereal disease in an infectious stage, even though he does voluntarily submit for examination and treatment and does take treatment under the provisions of this section.

All money collected under this section shall be paid into a clinic fund, if one is provided, and if not then into the county or city treasury, as the case may be; and the local health officer having jurisdiction shall collect and account for such funds collected hereunder.