Virtua Health celebrated a key construction milestone on June 9 at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden. The not-for-profit health system held a topping-off ceremony to mark the placement of the final steel beam atop the hospital’s new patient tower. The Marvin Samson Pavilion is part of a $500 million renovation and expansion at the Haddon Avenue institution, which marked its 75th anniversary last year.
The nearly 200,000-square-foot addition is slated for completion in the spring of 2028. It will increase the hospital’s size by 35% and serve as the hospital’s main entrance. The seven-story pavilion will include six floors dedicated to patient care.
The building is named for businessman and philanthropist Marvin Samson, who has pledged $5 million—the largest gift in Virtua’s history—in support of the health system’s education and workforce development programs.
Samson, a Virtua board member and longtime supporter, is also the namesake of the Virtua Samson Cancer Center in Moorestown, N.J.
“The Marvin Samson Pavilion demonstrates our commitment to the future of care in Camden and beyond,” said Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, Virtua president and CEO. “We look forward to welcoming every patient with compassion and supporting our staff and clinicians with a space that reflects their exceptional work.”
An Uplifting Moment – Literally!
More than 100 guests attended the topping-off event, which featured remarks from elected officials and Virtua leaders. In a nod to the hospital’s history and Catholic identity, Rev. Jon Peter Thomas, vicar general for the Diocese of Camden, blessed the 20-foot, 700-pound beam before it was raised.
A printed copy of his prayer, along with a medallion of St. Francis, will be incorporated into the roof of the new building when complete, echoing a similar act when the hospital first opened . (The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, N.Y., led the hospital during its early years, hence the connection to St. Francis.)
Attendees signed the steel beam—roughly the width of a two-car garage—with colorful permanent markers before construction crews used a crane to hoist it into place.
The Hospital’s New ‘Heart’
Attached to the existing hospital at Haddon and Euclid avenues, the new building will support the complex services centralized within Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, drawing patients from across New Jersey and beyond. These specialties include advanced cardiovascular care, organ transplantation, and a neurosciences program in partnership with Penn Medicine.
“This beautiful, state-of-the-art pavilion will be the new heart of our hospital,” said Lisa Ferraro, RN, senior vice president of Virtua Health and president of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. “It will provide a private room for every patient, advanced surgical facilities, dedicated spaces for specialized care, and areas for reflection and remembrance. As the hospital’s new front door, it will include an uplifting and welcoming lobby.”
The addition will include:
- 78 private patient rooms
- 10 operating rooms, including 2 hybrid suites
- 8 cardiac catheterization labs
- 3 electrophysiology labs
- 2 gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy rooms
- 40 surgical prep and recovery rooms
- A neuro-surgical stroke intervention suite
- A centralized post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) with 40 adaptable patient bays
Additional renovations are underway across the hospital. In the past year, Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes opened its first Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, and also renovated its Mother-Baby Unit along with several rooms in the Acute Care Rehab Unit.
The Samson Pavilion is part of Virtua Health’s broader initiative to enhance regional well-being, known as Advancing Well into the Future.
