The board shall establish, maintain, and operate a nursing home or other facility or service for the care and treatment of aged, convalescent, and chronically ill individuals. The board has the following powers and duties: to accept gifts, legacies, bequests, or endowments for purposes of the board; and unless otherwise specified by the donor, in the discretion of the board, to spend both principal and income of a gift, legacy, bequest, or endowment for the purposes of the board; to acquire and hold property in the name of the county commissioners or county council of the county; to preserve and administer property acquired by the board; and to sell or otherwise dispose of property acquired by the board; to provide adequate facilities and services for the care and treatment of aged, convalescent, and chronically ill individuals, including: physical care; medical care; nursing care; recreational services; rehabilitative services; special education; and dissemination of information relating to causes and prevention of chronic and debilitating illnesses; subject to item (ii) of this item, to charge fees for admission to and maintenance in a facility and for services provided; and to charge fees to indigent individuals in direct proportion to the individual’s ability to pay; to apply to the purposes of the board all money, assets, or property the board receives; to adopt rules and regulations for the board’s facilities and services; to cooperate with and assist, as much as practicable, any unit of the State, the United States, any subdivision of either, or any person; to hire a director of any facility or service and to provide for additional employees and the qualifications and wages of the employees; to require any facility or service to maintain standards to qualify for a license as a hospital under Title 19, Subtitle 3, Part III of the Health – General Article; and to integrate each of the board’s facilities with those of the Secretary of Health.