Supporters, hospital staff, and elected officials sat in a tent next to the steel skeleton of a new pavilion in Camden on June 9th to commemorate the final steel beam put into place as part of a $500-million expansion and renovation of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.
The ceremonial beam signing marked a construction milestone for the nearly 200,000-square-foot, seven-story tower that will increase the 76-year-old hospital’s size by 35% and serve as the main entrance.
Dr. Raynard E. Washington, New Jersey Commissioner of Health, reflected on other hospitals leaving their communities and the investment that Virtua Health is making in Camden.
The project is an example of what is possible when healthcare stays committed to the community it serves, Washington told more than 100 Virtua stakeholders and visitors.
Virtua is renovating parts of the old hospital building in addition to constructing the Marvin Samson Pavilion, named for the South Jersey businessman and philanthropist who serves on Virtua’s Board of Trustees and donated $5 million to Virtua – its largest gift ever.
Completion of the Marvin Samson Pavilion is scheduled for the spring of 2028. It will include:
• 78 private patient rooms
• 10 operating rooms, including 2 dynamic, hybrid operating suites
• Four cardiac catheterization labs
• Three electrophysiology labs (for treatment of heart rhythm problems)
• Two GI (gastrointestinal) endoscopy rooms
• 40 surgical prep and recovery rooms
• A neuro-surgical stroke intervention suite
• A centralized post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) that includes 40 private, adaptable patient bays
Renovations in the old building at 1600 Haddon Avenue include Lourdes opening its first Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Mother-Baby Unit, and several patient rooms within the Acute Care Rehab Unit.
“It truly is our future taking shape,” Virtua President and CEO Dennis W. Pullin told the group.
Healthcare construction in Camden is booming, with Cooper University Hospital having started its $3 billion expansion less than two miles north of Virtua Lourdes, also on Haddon Avenue.
“This beautiful, state-of-the-art pavilion will be the new heart of our hospital,” Lisa Ferraro, senior vice president of Virtua Health and president of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, said in a statement. “It will provide a private room for every patient, advanced surgical facilities, dedicated spaces for specialized care, and areas for reflection and remembrance.”
At the beam signing, Samson and members of his family used permanent markers on the beam, painted white for the event. Construction workers, hospital staff, elected officials, and others also lined up to put their signatures on the steel.
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital was founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, New York, and the order operated the hospital in its early years.
The standout feature of the old hospital building is the 21-foot-high, 15-ton statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, 185 feet above Haddon Avenue.
Preserving the hospital’s heritage, Virtua will secure a St. Francis medallion and prayer in the roof of the new pavilion, as the sisters did in the head of the limestone statue that was erected in 1949.
While the focus was on the steel skeleton rising – construction crews were at work during the event – behind the tent and ceremonial beam, the speakers echoed Commissioner Washington’s words about Virtua Lourdes’ commitment to Camden.
Mayor Victor Carstarphen and several elected officials talked of having lived near Lourdes. The mayor said he is proud to see the construction progress every day and called the hospital a “true anchor” in the city.
Assemblyman William W. Spearman credited Virtua CEO Pullin for advocating for Camden and Virtua Lourdes’ role in the city.
“We all knew that he had a vision for the community,” Spearman said. “Without you, this would not be happening in our neighborhood.”
