
You might think an event with five governors from two different parties and five different decades wouldn’t be able to agree on anything, but the gathering Tuesday morning at Cooper University Hospital in Camden showed there are four universal truths when Governors Phil Murphy, Chris Christie, Jon Corzine, Jim McGreevey and Tom Kean get together.
1. Everyone feels Camden is in a much better place than when they found it, thanks to their actions, coupled with local efforts, led by George Norcross and others;
2. Everyone feels that Cooper’s incredible $3 billion “Project Imagine” expansion will dramatically improve the lives of residents and the care they receive at Cooper;
3. No one is a Philadelphia Eagles fan;
4. Kelly Ripa appears to top all the dignitaries in importance.

That was the takeaway in the city across the river from the City of Brotherly Love – good-hearted jabbing about whether you are a fan of the Patriots (Murphy) the Jets (Kean, who knew?) and, of course, the dreaded Cowboys (Christie).
The gathering, at times, took on the atmosphere of a fantasy draft party – can you believe the Giants just gave the Eagles Barkley?
But most of it was spent talking about how much Camden has changed – and how much Cooper, Norcross and the governors present are responsible.
Those efforts will soon increase substantially.
The Project Imagine expansion project, first announced by Cooper University Health Care in late 2022, will dramatically enhance Cooper’s main campus to meet the current and future projected demand at Cooper University Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper.
Cooper’s campus plan is designed to address the clinical, ancillary, education and research and support service needs of Cooper’s rapidly growing academic medical center campus in Camden. The first phase hospital tower will use approximately $170 million in state grant money the Murphy administration provided to the state’s three Level 1 trauma centers after the COVID-19 pandemic to strengthen New Jersey’s emergency preparedness.
Project Imagine includes:
- Three new patient towers: Accommodating up to 745 all-private inpatient beds.
- Enhanced surgical and emergency services: Expanded surgical and interventional capacity, a state-of-the-art emergency department, and a bridge connecting to MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper.
- Regional Emergency Preparedness: A new regional medical coordination center (RMCC) and additional surge capacity to bolster New Jersey’s emergency infrastructure.
George Norcross, the chairman of the board at Cooper and a member of the first family of Cooper – one that has donated time, energy and money for more than 50 years – summed it up this way, asking the overflow crowd:
“Who would have ever thought – and I asked each governor going back to Gov. Kean – that we would be having a ground-breaking for a $3 billion expansion of Cooper, the largest public expansion of a health care institution in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey anywhere,” he said.
“Who would have thought that since Governor Kean was governor to Gov. Murphy, that Camden would come so far, so quick, from what once (was) America’s most dangerous and poor city.”
Norcross said the expansion will be a transformative $3 billion investment in the future of the city and South Jersey.
Murphy said he was happy to be the latest governor to join in the important effort.
“I’m grateful for Cooper’s long-standing commitment to an investment in the city of Camden, and I’m grateful our state, through generations of governors could help make this project possible,” he said. “Together with Cooper and with the people of Camden, we’re not just breaking ground, we are building a future filled with good health and opportunity for all.”
Here’s how it will happen.
The first phase of the project is a 10-story, 35,000 square foot hospital tower on the corner of MLK and Haddon Avenue directly across from the MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper. The new building will be linked to the cancer center with a bridge over Haddon Avenue and is slated for completion by 2028.
Tower A will include:
- 125 acuity-adaptable private rooms incorporating advanced technology to meet diverse patient needs.
- Expanded women’s services featuring labor and delivery rooms and a new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
- Additional operating rooms, increasing surgical capacity to meet growing demand.
- Education and research spaces with a modern medical library and learner-focused spaces to support Cooper’s academic mission.
- Emergency preparedness infrastructure, including a state-of-the-art medical command center to serve the region.
The project is expected to create thousands of construction jobs and, upon completion, hundreds of permanent positions in health care and related fields.
Kevin O’Dowd, the co-CEO of Cooper, couldn’t be prouder – calling it another monumental step in the history of the hospital.
“Today, we celebrate the incredible professionals who have served at Cooper over the past 138 years,” he said. “Cooper has evolved into an elite, nationally recognized academic health system, and this next step forward would not be possible without the unwavering dedication and commitment of our team members.”
Dr. Anthony Mazzarelli, co-CEO of Cooper, agreed.
“This project will also empower Cooper’s dedicated, expert physicians, nurses, and health care professionals to provide patients with the highest quality of care in facilities that match their skills,” he said.
This, of course, was about all the group could agree on.
There were political cracks – Norcross took a shot at former Gov. Codey (not present) – and nods (and cracks) regarding the two politicians present who were hoping to be the next governor (Steve Sweeney and Josh Gottheimer).
There were cracks about Christie’s love of the Cowboys and Sweeney’s support of the Green Bay Packers.
And then there was the fan-boy deference to Ripa, a self-proclaimed Camden County girl whose father, Joe, is a legendary figure in town, having recently retired (at age 85) as county clerk.
Ripa, who starred in the first-ever Cooper TV ad years ago, brought the proceedings to a halt when she arrived just a few minutes late – none of the governors seemed to mind a bit.
Then, later, she had all the dignitaries patiently waiting in a blustery cold wind so she could be present for the ceremonial first shovel of dirt.
Ripa said the hospital always has had a special place in her heart, noting it was where her parents first met.
“I’m honored to be with all of you,” she said.
Of course, she wasn’t the only TV star there.
Ron Jaworski, a legendary Eagles QB, ESPN analyst and longtime Cooper benefactor, was seated in the front row.
Norcross couldn’t resist calling him out.
“If you want a Super Bowl ticket, see Ron before you leave,” he said.
Finally, an Eagles fan.