§1098.6. Qualifications of board of commissioners

            A.(1) No person owning or possessing any property interest in any of the stocks, bonds, or other securities issued by any private hospital located in the same area served by the district, and no person who is a director or other officer of any private hospital shall be eligible for or hold any position on the board of commissioners except those positions to be named by the Slidell Memorial Hospital medical staff.

            (2) With respect to privileges at any district hospital, such a decision regarding a person owning or possessing any property interest in any of the stocks, bonds, or other securities issued by a private hospital located in the same area served by the St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 2 is strictly left to the discretion of the board of commissioners. Such an interest shall not require the suspension of or the rejection of a request for privileges at a service district hospital; however, privileges may be suspended or denied based upon such an ownership interest.

            (3) For the purposes of this Subsection, the possession or ownership of an interest, stocks, bonds, or other securities by the spouse or minor children of any person shall be considered to be the possession or interest of such person.

            B.(1) Members of the board are eligible for reappointment by the appointing authority. Any vacancy on the commission shall be filled for the remaining portion of the term in the same manner as the original appointment.

            (a) No member of the board, whether appointed by recommendation of the nominating committee or the medical staff, shall serve more than three consecutive terms. One term shall consist of four years, with the exception of Subparagraphs (b) and (c) of this Paragraph.

            (b) If an appointee is named to fill the term of a member who has left the board and less than two years remain in the term, that appointee's term shall not be considered one of the three consecutive terms to which a member is limited.

            (c) If an appointee is named to fill the term of a member who has left the board and more than two years remain in the term, that appointee's term shall be considered one of the three consecutive terms to which a member is limited.

            (d) All vacancies on the board shall be filled by the appointing authority within sixty days of the vacancy.

            (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any member of the board who is a licensed physician shall not be prohibited from contracting or accepting employment with Slidell Memorial Hospital following expiration of his service on the board of commissioners.

            C. Any commissioner may be removed by majority vote of the board or by the appointing authority, but only for cause, including misconduct, incompetency, or neglect of duty, and on charges preferred against the member in writing and after public hearing and proof of the sufficiency of such charges. Any commissioner so removed shall have the right to contest in the Twenty-Second Judicial District Court the sufficiency of the charges and of the evidence tendered in support thereof.

            Acts 2020, No. 365, §1, eff. June 12, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 49, §1.