Cooper University Hospital in Camden will undergo a massive $2 billion expansion that could take a decade to complete and will increase the number of people the facility will be able to treat.
The projects announcement Monday drew some of New Jerseys most notable officials, including Gov. Phil Murphy and his predecessor, former Gov. Chris Christie.
Officials touted the investment as the largest in the history of Camden, a city often considered one of the nations most underserved.
Three buildings will be added to the hospital of 9,000 employees, which officials said will help meet the current and future demand at the facility. The first building will be used for clinical care and education, while a later stage of the project will add more than 100 private rooms for patients.
What we announced today is something that will last for decades to come, Cooper chairman George Norcross III said as officials unveiled the plans at a public event at the hospital. This will be a complete reconstruction of Cooper as we know it.
George Norcross III speaks at the announcement. Cooper University and MD Anderson Cancer Center Announce $2 Billion Expansion in Camden
The hospital will use bonds, grants, and cash on hand to fund the project, Cooper spokeswoman Wendy Marano said. Officials on Monday did not say if state money would help subsidize the expansion.
Norcross heaped praise on both Murphy and Christie for their commitments to Camden, not just by supporting expansions to Cooper but other projects in the South Jersey city during their time running the state.
Murphy told the crowd of more than 200 people he was incredibly honored to be a part of the announcement, calling it a historic occasion.
Christie said hes proud to see that Gov. Murphy has built on those and has advanced those initiatives to help both Camden and Cooper, which Christie had also invested in during his eight years in office.
Thats what the product is of putting the public above yourself, Christie added. Get politics news like this right to your inbox with the N.J. Politics newsletter. Add your email below and hit “subscribe”
The event marked one of the rare times bringing together Christie, Murphy, and Norcross.
Christie, a Republican, has repeatedly criticized Murphy, a Democrat, since he left office in 2018. Although Murphy often doesnt often refer to Christie by name, he often laments the mess he inherited when he took over.
Norcross, meanwhile, is a South Jersey Democratic power broker who is considered one of the most powerful non-elected officials in the state. He has sometimes clashed with Murphy.
Anything is possible if were willing to put aside the petty things that divide folks in public life these days and remember that being a public servant is about serving the public, not serving yourself, Christie said.
The project will eventually bring the total number of beds at the hospital to 745. Construction is expected to begin as soon as next year, though an exact timeline of when it will be completed is not yet known.
Coopers commitment to its home community is a model of how corporate leadership can spark imagination and new opportunities that benefit local residents, Norcross said. Camdens transformation from being Americas poorest and most dangerous city to one on the rise is a national model of what cities can achieve with commitment, faith, and hard work.
This is the latest in a string of projects to help revitalize Camden and expand Cooper in recent years.
Christie helped break the ground for a $100 million cancer institute at the hospital in 2012. A year later, Christie and Norcross announced the hospitals cancer institute partnered with the nationally known MD Anderson Cancer Center of Houston to create a treatment and research hub aimed to make south Jersey a destination for clinical trials.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.