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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>79850</law_id><section_number>32.1-122.10:001</section_number><catch_line>Purpose; one or more localities may create authority; advertisement and notice of hearing</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>32.1-127.1:03</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="4">Health Care Planning</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="6.1">Local Health Partnership Authorities</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> Communities lack the ability to coordinate, across <span class="dictionary">jurisdictions</span>, health partnership efforts between local governments and private providers of health care services, which leads to duplicative and inefficient services. Such public/private partnerships could (i) encourage the use of service delivery that otherwise might have required government funding or programs; (ii) allow governments to fully participate in such partnerships; (iii) maximize the willingness of individuals, agencies and private organizations to lend their expertise to help satisfy community needs; (iv) allow innovative funding mechanisms to leverage public funds; (v) allow appropriate information sharing to ensure the adequacy and quality of services delivered; (vi) provide liability protection for volunteers providing services under programs sponsored or approved by the authority; (vii) provide a mechanism to ensure that services provided in the community are necessary, appropriate, and provided by trained and supervised <span class="dictionary">persons</span>; and (viii) allow volunteers and others to focus their energies to achieve community health improvement. Health care services include, but are not limited to, treatment of and education about acute and chronic diseases, wellness and prevention activities that promote the health of communities, and access to services and activities. <a id="paragraph-286047" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-122.10_001/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The governing body of a locality may by <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span> or resolution, or the governing bodies of two or more localities may by concurrent <span class="dictionary">ordinances</span> or resolutions or by agreement, create a local health partnership authority which shall have as its purpose developing partnerships between public and private providers. The <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, resolution or agreement creating the authority shall not be adopted or approved until a public <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> has been held on the question of its adoption or approval. The authority shall be a public body politic and corporate. <a id="paragraph-286048" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-122.10_001/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> The governing body of each participating locality shall cause to be advertised at least one time in a newspaper of general circulation in such locality a copy of the <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, resolution or agreement creating the authority, or a descriptive summary of the <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, resolution or agreement and a reference to the place where a copy of such <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, resolution or agreement can be obtained, and notice of the day, not less than 30 days after publication of the advertisement, on which a public <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> will be held on the <span class="dictionary">ordinance</span>, resolution or agreement. <a id="paragraph-286049" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-122.10_001/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> No authority created pursuant to this article shall be exempt from any of the provisions of the Certificate of Public Need <span class="dictionary">laws</span> and regulations of the Commonwealth. <a id="paragraph-286050" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-122.10_001/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> No authority created pursuant to this article shall be allowed to <span class="dictionary">issue</span> <span class="dictionary">bonds</span> or other form of indebtedness. <a id="paragraph-286051" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-122.10_001/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> Any authority created pursuant to this article shall report on programmatic initiatives on an annual basis to the Joint Commission on Health Care. <a id="paragraph-286052" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-122.10_001/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2001, c. 671; 2003, cc. 63, 70.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
