(1) Any hospital authority is hereby authorized to provide for the issuance of bonds of the authority for the purpose of refunding any bonds of the authority then outstanding, including the payment of any redemption premium thereon and any interest accrued or to accrue to the earliest or subsequent date of redemption, purchase or maturity of such bonds, and, if deemed advisable by the authority, for the additional purpose of paying all or any part of the cost of constructing and acquiring additions, improvements, extensions or enlargements of a hospital or any portion thereof. Any such refunding bonds may, if the board of trustees in its absolute discretion finds the same to be in the best interests of the authority, bear a rate of interest or rates of interest higher than the rate or rates of interest carried by the bonds to be refunded and redeemed.

(2) The proceeds of any such bonds issued for the purpose of refunding outstanding bonds may, in the discretion of the authority, be applied to the purchase or retirement at maturity or redemption of such outstanding bonds either on their earliest or any subsequent redemption date or upon the purchase or at the maturity thereof and may, pending such application, be placed in escrow to be applied to such purchase or retirement at maturity or redemption on such date as may be determined by the authority.

(3) All such refunding bonds shall be subject to the provisions of sections 23-3579 to 23-35,120 in the same manner and to the same extent as other bonds issued pursuant to the provisions of sections 23-3579 to 23-35,120.