(a) The authority may initiate a program of financing the acquisition, construction, and equipping of health care facilities in the state. In furtherance of this objective, the authority may also:

(1) Establish eligibility standards for participating providers, provided that such standards shall encourage maximum feasible participation for participating providers serving disproportionately high numbers of indigent patients;

(2) Contract with any entity securing the payment of bonds to authorize the entity to approve the participating providers that can finance or refinance a project with proceeds from the bond issue secured by that entity;

(3) Lease to a participating provider specific projects upon terms and conditions that the authority considers proper, charge and collect rents therefor, terminate any such lease upon the failure of the lessee to comply with any of its obligations under the lease or otherwise as the lease provides, and include in any such lease provisions that the lessee has the option to renew the term of the lease for such periods and at such rents as may be determined by the authority or to purchase any or all of the projects to which the lease applies;

(4) Loan to a participating provider under any installment purchase contract or loan agreement money to finance, reimburse, or refinance the cost of specific projects and take back a secured or unsecured promissory note evidencing such a loan and security interest in the project financed or refinanced with such loan upon such terms and conditions as the authority considers proper;

(5) Sell or otherwise dispose of any unneeded or obsolete projects under terms and conditions as determined by the authority;

(6) Maintain, repair, replace, and otherwise improve or cause to be maintained, repaired, replaced, and otherwise improved a project owned by the authority;

(7) Obtain or aid in obtaining property insurance on all projects owned or financed by the authority or accept payment if a project is damaged or destroyed; and

(8) Enter into any agreement, contract, or other instrument with respect to any insurance, guarantee, letter of credit, or other form of credit enhancement, accepting payment in such manner and form as provided therein if a participating provider defaults and assign any such insurance, guarantee, letter of credit, or other form of credit enhancement as security for bonds issued by the authority.

(b) Before exercising any of the powers conferred by subsection (a) of this Code section, the authority may:

(1) Require that the lease, installment purchase contract, or loan agreement involved be insured by a loan insurer, guaranteed by a loan guarantor, or secured by a letter of credit or other form of credit enhancement; and

(2) Require any other type of security from the participating providers that it considers reasonable and necessary.

(c) The authority may not finance a project for any participating provider unless the Department of Community Health, or any successor thereof, has issued a certificate of need or comparable certification of approval to the participating provider for the project to be financed by the authority if the acquisition of such project by the participating provider would require a certificate of need or comparable certification of approval under Chapter 6 of Title 31.