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Cooper University Health Care and MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper announced a new, $2 billion expansion in the City of Camden.

The Sept. 19 announcement featured a number of executives, officials and dignitaries, including board Chairman George Norcross III, Gov. Phil Murphy, former Gov. Chris Christie and Camden County native Kelly Ripa, who was unable to attend as scheduled, but sent a video message.

The investment is the largest in the county’s history and will dramatically expand the system’s Camden campus to meet current and future demand.

The expansion will include three new clinical towers with more than 100 private rooms. The facilities, which will be environmentally sustaining, will include emerging technologies and innovations to provide support for the academic health system.

“Not only does this announcement represent the culmination of Cooper’s amazing turnaround since it faced bankruptcy at the turn of the century, but it is also a sign of our commitment to and faith in Camden, its residents and our shared future,” said Norcross. “Cooper’s commitment to its home community is a model of how corporate leadership can spark imagination and new opportunities that benefit local residents.”

A recognizable name

Cooper University Health Care recently opened its new Ripa Center for Women’s Health and Wellness location in Haddonfield, which is modeled after the Voorhees center. Click here to read more.

“By supporting public safety, educational opportunities, and job creation in addition to providing quality medical care, Cooper has taken a holistic and meaningful approach to strengthening the health of the community it serves,” said Murphy. “I applaud this new expansion and Cooper’s ongoing work to improve the lives of Camden residents.”

Ripa has a long affiliation with Cooper, helping launch the Ripa Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Cooper in Voorhees, which offers comprehensive health center services for women.

“Cooper has dreamed big and achieved their dreams of transforming into a leading academic health system in the South Jersey region,” said Ripa. “Having grown up in the area, it’s especially meaningful to be invited to participate in the announcing of Cooper’s latest major investment, this time in Camden, demonstrating their commitment and the power of imagining a bigger and better future for local residents.”

“Today is a celebration of all the professionals who have served at Cooper over the last 135 years,” said Kevin O’Dowd, co-CEO of Cooper. “Cooper has grown into an elite, nationally recognized academic health system, and this amazing transformation could only have been achieved through the tireless effort of dedicated and committed team members.”