Virtua Health today commemorated the 75th anniversary of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and unveiled plans for a $500 million renovation and expansion, including a new, six-story patient care pavilion named in honor of philanthropist Marvin Samson.

The Marvin Samson Foundation has pledged $5 million – the largest gift in Virtua’s history – in support of education and workforce development programs at the health system, which is South Jersey’s largest.

To mark the occasion, Bishop Joseph Andrew Williams, the newly appointed head of the Diocese of Camden, led a ground-blessing prayer alongside local spiritual leaders representing a spectrum of faith communities. About 200 people attended the ceremony, including past hospital leaders, patients, community members, and philanthropic supporters of the not-for-profit, academic health system.

The nearly 200,000-square-foot addition will increase the hospital’s size by 35%, noted Virtua President and CEO Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE.

“The creation of the Marvin Samson Pavilion is a key element of Virtua's ongoing investment in the well-being of this community,” Pullin explained. “And equally important, the new pavilion affirms our commitment to providing advanced, accessible care to the region and beyond.”  

Samson, a Virtua board member and longtime supporter, is also the namesake of the Virtua Samson Cancer Center in Moorestown, N.J.

“I was raised to believe that each of us has an obligation to make the world a better place,” said Samson, the son of immigrants who faced financial hardships while growing up. “I am excited that we are expanding Virtua's ability to impact the quality of life for members of this community.”

The Hospital’s New Centerpiece
Attached to the existing hospital at Haddon and Euclid avenues, the new building will support the complex services that Virtua has centralized within Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, drawing patients from across New Jersey and other states. These specialties include advanced cardiovascular care, organ transplantation, and a neurosciences program in partnership with Penn Medicine.

“This state-of-the-art addition will be transformative,” said Lisa Ferraro, senior vice president of Virtua Health and president of Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. “It will provide all private rooms, advanced surgical facilities, dedicated spaces for specialized care, and areas for reflection and remembrance. It will also create the hospital’s new front door and a stunning, welcoming lobby.”  

The addition will include:

• 78 private patient rooms
• 10 operating rooms, including 2 dynamic, hybrid operating suites
• 4 cardiac catheterization labs
• 3 electrophysiology labs (for treatment of heart rhythm problems)
• 2 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

Additionally, renovations and updates of the hospital’s existing facilities are underway.

The Samson Pavilion is expected to welcome patients at the end of 2027. It is part of Virtua Health’s organization-wide strategy to enhance the region’s well-being, called Advancing Well into the Future.

Tradition of Shared Humanity Continues
From the beginning, the hospital has welcomed people of all backgrounds and religions. In fact, people of diverse faiths helped raise funds for Our Lady of Lourdes’s construction, according to newspaper stories from that time.

Today, that tradition is further exemplified by the naming of this Catholic hospital’s new pavilion for Marvin Samson, who is Jewish.

“I can't think of a better way to honor the Hebrew teaching of tikkun olam – which means ‘repairing the world’ – than working with Virtua to achieve its mission to help individuals be well, get well, and stay well, by providing the highest quality care and serving as a partner in good health for the South Jersey community,” Samson explained.

History of Caring
Founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, N.Y., Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital opened its doors on May 28, 1950, and began seeing patients July 1 that year. Over time, the hospital became a Camden landmark, community partner, and mainstay of compassionate care. Its Catholic roots and ongoing connection to the Diocese of Camden support the hospital’s altruistic foundation.

In the 1970s, the hospital developed into a tertiary care center, providing advanced care to people with complex or severe conditions. For instance, it began performing cardiac catheterizations and heart surgery in 1972, eventually becoming one of the Delaware Valley’s largest providers of cardiovascular services.

In 1974, Lourdes became the only solid organ transplant center in South Jersey, starting with kidney transplants and later adding liver and pancreas transplants.

That same year, the hospital established the Osborn Family Health Center to address Camden’s high rate of infant mortality. Launched in a brownstone donated by Dr. Edward Osborn, the hospital’s first chief of surgery, the center is now located across Haddon Avenue from the hospital, in the Sister Elizabeth Corry Ambulatory Care Center.

Other firsts included the 1976 opening of the Lourdes Regional Rehabilitation Center, the area’s only inpatient acute-care physical rehab facility; and the 1979 launch of the Lourdes Wellness Center, the area’s first facility focused on integrative and holistic services.

In 2019, Virtua Health acquired Lourdes Health System and the hospital was renamed Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. (As part of that transaction, Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County became Virtua Willingboro Hospital.) With these additions, Virtua now has five hospitals and more than 400 other care locations, enabling it to provide more comprehensive, coordinated care that is close-to-home for residents of South Jersey and the greater region.

Working together with Bishop Dennis Sullivan, who led the Diocese of Camden at the time, Virtua retained the Camden hospital’s Catholic identity. This enabled the hospital to continue its historic affiliation with the Catholic Church and its healing ministry.

Since its founding, the hospital has been known for an iconic feature: the 30-foot statue of Our Lady of Lourdes atop the original building, 185 feet above street level. When the hospital performs an organ transplant, the statue is lighted green that evening. Other colors shine on Our Lady at different times, such as red for Heart Month and blue for autism awareness. 

The Hospital Today
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes is a regional referral center that is recognized nationally for quality patient care.

It is a destination for high-acuity cardiovascular care, including heart attack treatment, robotic-assisted bypass surgery, valve repair and replacement, and heart rhythm care. The facility is also home to the Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Neurosciences Program, providing advanced neurosurgical care for stroke, aneurysm, traumatic brain injury, and more. Additionally, the hospital is Virtua’s hub for the treatment of kidney and liver disease, and is South Jersey’s only center for liver, kidney, and pancreas transplantation.

It offers gynecologic and urologic surgery and comprehensive rehabilitation, and has a nationally recognized emergency department that serves 54,000-plus patients a year. The hospital also provides maternity services, delivering about 600 babies annually.