SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Two organizations in South Jersey have been approved for $175 million in loans from the United States Department of Agriculture to make major improvements.
Sens. Corey Booker and Bob Menendez announced the loans for the Gloucester County Improvement Authority and the Deborah Heart and Lung Center.
"This federal investment will ensure South Jersey communities have continued access to quality health care and higher education," said Menendez in a joint statement with Booker.
Booker added, "I am pleased to see successful federal programs like this make critical investments in South Jersey communities at a time when our state needs it most."
Nearly $61 million will be used to create a fossil park in Mantua, which contains the remains of animals that walked the earth millions of years ago. It will be a valuable resource for students at Rowan University's new college of Earth and Environment. An additional $26 million is going to pay for expansion of Rowan's student center.
The Deborah Heart and Lung Center will use more than $88 million to expand and convert shared rooms into private suites while slightly increasing capacity. President Joseph Chirichella says the plans were designed before COVID-19 hit, but they align perfectly with the medical needs of today and beyond.
"100% of the rooms are going to be critical care. 100% of these new rooms are going to have all of the isolation capabilities," he said. "The patients will have full control of the temperature in the room, the lighting in the room, control the shades from their bed."
Chirichella said the hospital gets great reviews from patients in all categories, but the facilities have started to lag behind.