Rhode Island § 23-16-4 - Health Facilities Construction

§ 23-16-4. Powers of the director.

The director of the state department of health is authorized and empowered to comply with or do any and all other acts or duties necessary or required to be done as a condition to receiving federal aid or grants with respect to the establishment, construction, maintenance, equipping, or operation for all the people of the state of adequate facilities and services as specified in § 23-16-2, including, but not limited to, the authority:

(1) To provide for an inventory of existing facilities or a particular category or categories of existing facilities, and to survey the need for additional facilities;

(2) To develop and administer a construction program or programs which, in conjunction with existing facilities, will afford adequate facilities to serve the people of the state;

(3) To provide methods of administration, including personnel standards, on a merit basis, and to require reports, make investigations, and prescribe regulations;

(4) To provide for priority of projects or facilities;

(5) To provide to applicants an opportunity for a fair hearing before the state department of health;

(6) To procure in the director’s discretion the temporary or intermittent services of experts or consultants or organizations of experts or consultants by contract, when the services are to be performed on a part-time or fee-for-service basis and do not involve the performance of administrative duties; and

(7) To prescribe and require compliance with standards of maintenance and operation applicable to those facilities that are reasonably necessary to protect the public health, welfare, and safety.