BROWNS MILLS, N.J. (July 15, 2009) -- Donning hardhats, executives from Deborah Heart and Lung Center and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County swung sledgehammers yesterday morning to launch the construction of a new state-of-the-art satellite emergency department (SED) at Deborah's Browns Mills campus. Operated by Lourdes and scheduled to open in March 2010, the fully equipped, 24‑hour SED will improve accessibility to emergency care for many Burlington County families.

John R. Ernst, president and CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center, and Alexander J. Hatala, president and CEO of Catholic Health East New Jersey (CHE-NJ) and Lourdes Health System, underscored the importance of the hospitals' new partnership in addressing the needs of residents in Deborah's service area, which includes the communities of Browns Mills, Wrightstown, New Egypt, Lumberton, Hainesport, Eastampton, Mansfield, Chesterfield, Woodland Township, Chatsworth, Springfield, Fort Dix, and McGuire Air Force Base.

"Both Lourdes and Deborah have a rich tradition of delivering high-quality care to every patient, and we are delighted to have Catholic Health East New Jersey as our partner in this venture," said Ernst. "This technologically advanced SED will make the best possible emergency care available to thousands of New Jersey residents throughout the communities long served by Deborah."

"We are excited by this partnership with Deborah, which demonstrates how health-care providers can work cooperatively to improve access to care without duplicating services," said Hatala. "In addition to providing area residents with access to a renowned heart hospital, we are proud to offer access to top-quality emergency care close to home and the range of inpatient and outpatient services available at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro."

Deborah's Vice President of Operations Joseph Chirichella, Lourdes-Burlington's Chief Executive Officer Eugene Johnson, and Burlington County First Aid Council President Richard Archer also participated in yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony for the 10,000-square-foot SED, which will feature 11 exam/treatment rooms, a triage bay, a cardiac resuscitation room, specialized treatment areas, including OB/GYN and Isolation/Decontamination, space for support services, and a comfortable waiting area.

Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Browns Mills, N.J., is a 139-bed teaching hospital that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart, lung and vascular diseases in adults, as well as providing outpatient cardiology services for children. For more information, visit www.deborah.org.

CHE-NJ is a newly established division of Catholic Health East, one of the nation's largest not-for-profit health systems, with facilities in 11 eastern states. In addition to Lourdes Health System (Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden and Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro), CHE-NJ affiliates include St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton and Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark.

Lourdes Health System is one of southern New Jersey's leading health-care providers. Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, a 410-bed regional referral center, offers many specialty services, including the N.J. Heart Institute at Lourdes; maternity services, including the Regional Perinatal Center for high-risk mothers and infants; the Lourdes Stroke Center; bariatric (weight-loss) surgery; the Southern New Jersey Dialysis Center; the Center for Organ Transplantation; and the Lourdes Regional Rehabilitation Center. Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, a 249-bed community hospital in Willingboro, features the Lourdes Cancer Program; surgical services, including minimally invasive procedures; orthopedics; maternity services; Lourdes Specialty Hospital of Southern New Jersey; wound care; a sleep lab; behavioral-health services; and cardiology services. Other programs include the Lourdes Wellness Center, with facilities in Collingswood and Columbus, Our Lady of Lourdes School of Nursing, and the Osborn Family Health Center. More information is available at www.lourdesnet.org and at www.che.org.