§27-2-1. State hospitals and other facilities; transfer of control and property from Department of Mental Health to Department of Health and Human Resources; civil service coverage.

The state hospitals established at Weston, Huntington and Lakin, are continued and known respectively as the William R. Sharpe, Jr. Hospital, Mildred-Mitchell Bateman Hospital and Lakin Hospital. These state hospitals and centers are managed, directed and controlled by the Department of Health Facilities. Any person employed by the Department of Mental Health who on the effective date of this article is a classified civil service employee shall, within the limits contained in §29-6-2 of this code, remain in the civil service system as a covered employee. The Secretary of the Department of Health Facilities is authorized to bring the state hospitals into structural compliance with appropriate fire and health standards. All references in this code or elsewhere in law to the "West Virginia Training School" shall be taken and construed to mean and refer to the "Colin Anderson Center."

The control of the property, records, and financial and other affairs of state mental hospitals and other state mental health facilities is transferred from the Department of Mental Health to the Department of Health Facilities. The secretary shall, in respect to the control and management of the state hospitals and other state mental health facilities, perform the same duties and functions as were heretofore exercised or performed by the Director of Health. The title to all property of the state hospitals and other state facilities is transferred to and vested in the Department of Health Facilities.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this code to the contrary, whenever in this code there is a reference to the Department of Mental Health, it shall be construed to mean and is a reference to the Department of Health Facilities.