(a) The purpose of the Authority shall be to assist health-care facilities in the acquisition, construction, financing and refinancing of projects within the State, and for this purpose the Authority is authorized and empowered to:
(1) Adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;
(2) Adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure;
(3) Maintain an office at such place or places as it may designate;
(4) Sue and be sued in its own name, plead and be impleaded;
(5) Determine the location and character of any project to be financed under this chapter, and to construct, reconstruct, remodel, maintain, manage, enlarge, alter, add to, repair, operate, lease, as lessee or lessor, and regulate the same, to enter into contracts for any and all of such purposes, to enter into contracts for the management and operation of a project, and to designate a participating facility as its agent to determine the location and character of a project undertaken by such participating facility under this chapter and, as the agent of the Authority, to construct, reconstruct, remodel, maintain, manage, enlarge, alter, add to, repair, operate, lease, as lessee or lessor, and regulate the same, and, as the agent of the Authority, to enter into contracts for any and all of such purposes, including contracts for the management and operation of such project;
(6) Issue bonds, bond anticipation notes and other obligations of the Authority for any of its corporate purposes, and to fund or refund the same all as provided in this chapter;
(7) Generally, fix and revise from time to time and charge and collect rates, rents, fees and charges for the use of and for the services furnished or to be furnished by a project or any portion thereof and to contract with any person, partnership, association or corporation or other body public or private in respect thereof and to designate a participating facility as its agent to fix, revise, charge and collect such rates, rents, fees and charges and to make such contracts;
(8) Establish rules and regulations for the use of a project or any portion thereof and to designate a participating facility as its agent to establish rules and regulations for the use of a project in which such participating facility is participating;
(9) Employ consulting engineers, architects, attorneys, accountants, construction and financial experts, superintendents, managers and such other employees and agents as may be necessary in its judgment, and to fix their compensation;
(10) Receive and accept from any public agency loans or grants for or in aid of the construction of a project or any portion thereof, and receive and accept loans, grants, aid or contributions from any source of either money, property, labor or other things of value to be held, used and applied only for the purposes for which such loans, grants, aid and contributions are made;
(11) Mortgage any project and the site thereof for the benefit of the holders of bonds issued to finance such project;
(12) Make loans to any participating facility for the cost of a project in accordance with an agreement between the Authority and 1 or more participating facilities; provided that no such loan shall exceed the total cost of the project as determined by such participating facility or facilities and approved by the Authority;
(13) Make loans to participating facilities to refund outstanding obligations, mortgages or advances issued, made or given by such participating facilities for the cost of the project;
(14) Charge to and equitably apportion among participating facilities its administrative costs and expenses reasonably incurred in the exercise of the powers and duties conferred by this chapter;
(15) Do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
(b) In carrying out the purposes of this chapter, the Authority may undertake a joint project or projects for 2 or more participating facilities, and, thereupon, all other provisions of this chapter shall apply to and for the benefit of the Authority and the participants in such joint project or projects.