Section 135-B. Departments of occupational therapy in connection with public general hospitals and tuberculosis hospitals or sanatoria

Any municipal  corporation  maintaining  a  public  general  hospital  or a hospital or
  sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis under the provisions of any
  general or special law may establish, equip and maintain, in  connection
  therewith, a department of occupational therapy. For the purpose of this
  section  occupational  therapy  is  defined  as  any activity, mental or
  physical, prescribed, guided or  supervised  for  any  patient  for  the
  purpose  of  contributing  to and hastening his recovery from disease or
  injury. The appropriate municipal authorities may appropriate or provide
  funds  for  the  establishment,  equipment   and   operation   of   such
  occupational   therapy  departments  in  the  same  manner  as  for  the
  establishment, equipment and operation of such public general hospitals,
  tuberculosis  hospitals  or   sanatoria.   Such   occupational   therapy
  department  shall  be  under the general superintendence, management and
  control of the municipal authority, board of managers, or  other  agency
  having  general  superintendence,  management  and control of the public
  general hospital, tuberculosis hospital or sanatorium to which it may be
  attached.
    The  chief  medical  officer  of   such   public   general   hospital,
  tuberculosis  hospital  or sanatorium shall have authority to employ one
  or more occupational therapists to carry on the work of such  department
  under  his supervision. The qualifications of occupational therapists so
  employed shall be defined by the public health council.
    The chief medical officer of the institution may sell any article made
  or manufactured by any patient in his prescribed curative  work  carried
  on  in such occupational therapy department to such patient upon payment
  by such patient to such chief medical officer of a sum not less than the
  cost of the material or materials from which such article  was  made  or
  manufactured.  Such chief medical officer may, in behalf of any patient,
  dispose of any article, made  or  manufactured  by  him,  at  public  or
  private  sale,  and from moneys derived from the sale of such article he
  may pay to the patient such portion thereof that the  residue  shall  at
  least equal the cost of the material or materials.
    Except  in  the  case of hospitals or sanatoria maintained by counties
  having a county purchasing agent,  the  municipal  authority,  board  of
  managers, or other agency having general superintendence, management and
  control  of  such  public  general  hospital,  tuberculosis  hospital or
  sanatorium, may place the moneys accruing to  the  occupational  therapy
  department, from the two sources hereinabove mentioned, in a fund, to be
  known  as  "The  Occupational Therapy Fund. " The moneys in such fund at
  any time shall not exceed the sum of five hundred dollars. All  receipts
  in excess of such sum, or all receipts, if such fund be not established,
  shall  be  paid into the treasury of the municipal corporation operating
  such  hospital  or  sanatorium.  The  chief  medical  officer   of   the
  institution  may  directly  purchase  with moneys from "The Occupational
  Therapy Fund,"  if  such  a  fund  shall  have  been  established,  such
  materials,  in  addition  to  those  provided  for the operation of such
  occupational  therapy  department  as  hereinabove  authorized,  as  are
  necessary to the proper functioning of such department.
    The  chief medical officer may, in his discretion and if he deems such
  course to be in the best interest of any patient,  temporarily  withhold
  any  or  all moneys earned by such patient and shall give such moneys to
  such patient upon discharge.