Cooper University Health Care, the regional health system with multiple locations in Cherry Hill, will receive $100 million from board chairman George E. Norcross III. The gift, announced Tuesday, is the largest single donation in Cooper's 139-year history and one of the largest ever made to a health system in New Jersey.

The money will fund education and community programs across Camden and Cooper's South Jersey service area, prioritizing job training and opportunity, according to a Cooper press release.

"For more than 50 years, our family has been dedicated to Cooper, and we are so proud to make this contribution to ensure that Cooper and the thousands of talented, committed professionals who make a difference every day for the people of Camden and South Jersey can continue the important work of investing in their future and in Camden's continued renaissance," Norcross said in the announcement.

Norcross made the gift in honor of his parents, George E. Norcross Jr. and Anne Carol Conner Norcross. His father served on the Cooper Hospital Board of Trustees from 1976 to 1983. His mother worked at the Camden County Senior Citizens Center advocating for seniors and underserved Camden residents while raising four sons, all born at Cooper Hospital.

George E. Norcross III has served on Cooper's board since 1990 and is its longest-serving chairman. In recognition of the family's legacy, Cooper will add the Norcross name to the health system.

What it means for Cherry Hill

Cooper operates a campus at 2339 Route 70 in Cherry Hill, along with urgent care, primary care, women's health and neuropsychology offices across the township. The health system employs more than 14,000 people and sees over 2.5 million patient visits a year across Camden County and South Jersey.

NJBiz reported that Cooper is actively expanding its outpatient footprint in Cherry Hill, Voorhees and Moorestown alongside its $3 billion "Project Imagine" campus expansion in Camden. That project, launched in January 2025, will add an expanded MD Anderson Cancer Center, three new patient towers with up to 745 all-private beds, a new emergency department, and a neonatal intensive care unit.

New Jersey Assemblyman Cody Miller, who represents the 4th Legislative District, praised the gift on X on Tuesday, calling it "a transformational investment in the future of healthcare, innovation, education, and patient care."

@Cody_D_Miller: "South Jersey continues to move forward because of people who believe in investing in our communities. A $100 million gift to Cooper University Health Care is more than a donation — it's a transformational investment in the future of healthcare, innovation, education, and patient care."