Medical director - Contracts for public health services. A. The county board of health may, with the approval of the State Commissioner of Health, establish and maintain a county department of health, the maintenance and operation of which is hereby declared to be a function of county government for which appropriations may be made from the general fund of the county and the proceeds of a levy made in accordance with Section 9A of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution. B. The county boards of health of two or more counties may, with the approval of the Commissioner, form a health district composed of such counties for public health purposes. The health district may have a district department of health which shall be operated, in such counties, in the same manner as county departments of health. A health district may also be comprised of multiple county health departments operating under agreement to share resources for purposes of enhancing health outcomes for the member counties, provided costs are allocated in proportion to resources utilized by each county. C. Cooperative departments of health may be formed by agreement between the county board of health of any county maintaining a county department of health, or the county boards of health of counties in a health district, and the governing boards of cities, towns, and school districts lying wholly or partly in such county or health district. Any such agreement shall stipulate what health services will be provided to the cities, towns and school districts, which may be all or any of the services that may be provided by a county department of health, and shall also fix the amounts of funds to be paid by the cities, towns, and school districts for the services. All agreements made under the provisions of this section shall be subject to the approval of the State Commissioner of Health. D. A county department of health, a district department of health and a cooperative department of health shall be under the direction of a medical director, who shall perform his or her duties under the supervision of the Commissioner, and who shall, in addition to other duties, perform the same powers, duties and functions in the county, in the health district, or in the cooperative department, as is provided by law for county superintendents of health. The Commissioner shall appoint and fix the duties and compensation of the medical director, who shall be a physician licensed under the laws of this state, and shall employ and fix the duties and compensation of such other personnel as the Commissioner deems necessary for the operation of the county department of health, the district department of health, or the cooperative department of health, all such personnel to be employed under provisions of the Oklahoma Personnel Act and paid by state warrant. Reimbursements to the State Department of Health shall be paid by the county from the Section 9A of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution mill levy revenues, payable for the benefit of such county health department, district department of health, or the cooperative department of health and payable within thirty (30) days of receipt of an invoice therefor. Provided that, in any such local health department operating under the direction of a medical director who serves less than full time, the Commissioner may delegate nonmedical administrative duties to another employee of the county, district, or cooperative health department. E. The board of health or board of county commissioners of any county may contract with the board of health or board of county commissioners of any county or the State Department of Health to provide the county any or all public health services. The county receiving the services shall pay for the rendering of services according to a schedule of fees and payments mutually agreed upon by the the county or counties affected. Such schedule of fees and payments shall be equal to the cost of the services provided. Added by Laws 1963, c. 325, art. 2, § 205, operative July 1, 1963. Amended by Laws 1967, c. 260, § 1, emerg. eff. May 8, 1967; Laws 1975, c. 4, § 1, emerg. eff. Feb. 7, 1975; Laws 1978, c. 284, § 1, emerg. eff. May 10, 1978; Laws 1990, c. 265, § 36, operative July 1, 1990; Laws 2021, c. 297, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2021.
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