Cooper Hospital's Neighborhood Seeing Improvements

Cooper University Hospital in Camden, NJ is partnering with several local name-brand corporations, including PSE & G and Campbell's Soup, which are together putting up $1 million for several revitalization projects in the Cooper Plaza neighborhood,  near the hospital.

KYW's Steve Tawa reports that today's announcement was on a construction site on 6th Street between Royden and Line.

Doug Wagner (at lectern above) is executive director of Camden Metro Habitat For Humanity:

"The hole you see behind me is the foundations for the first three of nine brand-new units."

And he says the project will move forward quickly:

"We've already got homeowners selected. They're excited -- they're working their sweat equity."

John Sheridan, Cooper Hospital's CEO (right), says they want the neighborhood to include more than just shining new medical buildings:

"We cannot do that without working with our neighbors and the neighborhood right next to the hospital, which is Cooper Plaza."

Among the revitalization projects: the 700 blocks of New and Berkley Streets will see façade improvements, and the Center for Family Services, in the shadow of the hospital, will get better parking facilities for workers and clients.

(Photos by KYW's Steve Tawa)