Virtua Health has launched a $500 million expansion of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden, New Jersey, marking the facility’s 75th anniversary with a ground-blessing ceremony and announcement of a six-story patient care pavilion named for philanthropist Marvin Samson.

The new Marvin Samson Pavilion, expected to open by the end of 2027, will add nearly 200,000 square feet to the hospital’s footprint; an increase of 35%—according to Virtua president and CEO Dennis W. Pullin. The addition is designed to support advanced specialty services already centralized at the hospital, including cardiovascular care, organ transplantation, and neurosurgical interventions offered in partnership with Penn Medicine.

The Marvin Samson Foundation has committed $5 million to support workforce development and education initiatives across the health system, representing the largest philanthropic gift in Virtua’s history. Samson, a longtime supporter and Virtua board member, is also the namesake of the Virtua Samson Cancer Center in Moorestown.
The expansion will include 78 private rooms, 10 operating rooms — two of which will be hybrid surgical suites — four cardiac catheterization labs, three electrophysiology labs, and additional space for gastrointestinal procedures and stroke intervention. A new centralized post-anesthesia care unit will feature 40 adaptable bays. Renovations to the existing hospital are also underway.

Lisa Ferraro, senior vice president of Virtua Health and president of the Camden-based hospital, said the pavilion will “provide all private rooms, advanced surgical facilities, dedicated spaces for specialized care, and areas for reflection and remembrance.”

Originally opened in 1950 by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, the hospital became part of Virtua Health in 2019 following the acquisition of Lourdes Health System. Today it operates as a regional referral center for high-acuity cardiovascular, transplant, neurosurgical, and rehabilitative care.

Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes is the only facility in South Jersey offering liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation, and its 30-foot statue of Our Lady of Lourdes remains a visible symbol of its longstanding Catholic identity.

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