Mario R. Caruso, DO, Clinical Cardiologist and member provider at Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care, launched Cooper’s Adult Sports and Exercise Cardiology Program in 2021. He sees patients with a wide array of cardiac conditions and specializes in identifying and treating athletes who have underlying heart issues.

Dr. Caruso recently attended a sports cardiology conference – Sports Cardiology Summit for Elite and Professional Athletes – at the National Basketball Players Association headquarters in New York City. Read more.

(CAMDEN and CAPE MAY, NJ) – Cooper University Health Care and Cape Regional Health System announced that the two systems have signed a Letter of Intent to merge. When complete, this historic partnership will bring together two respected health systems to expand access to specialty health services to residents and visitors of Cape May County.

“For more than 135 years, Cooper has continued to expand its reach to provide advanced health care to the people of South Jersey,” said George E. Read more.

A team of physicians from Cooper University Health Care spent a week in Tanzania in November to provide advanced medical education at Muhimbili Hospital in Dar Es Salaam. Muhimbili Hospital is the largest hospital in Tanzania, with 2,000 beds serving a city with a population of more than 4.3 million people. Tanzania, located in Eastern Africa bordering on the Indian Ocean, has more than 60 million people and is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. Read more.

(CAMDEN, NJ) — The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®) has recognized Cooper University Health Care as one of only 78 ACS NSQIP-participating hospitals that have achieved meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2021.

The ACS NSQIP recognition program commends a select group of hospitals for achieving a meritorious composite score in either an “All Cases” category or a category that includes only “High Risk” cases. Read more.

Cooper University Health Care’s credit rating for bonds issued by Camden County Improvement Authority was upgraded by S&P Global Ratings (S&P) to an “A-“ from “BBB+.” Cooper’s new credit rating is the highest it has been in its 135-year history.

“This upgrade speaks to the remarkable turnaround Cooper University Health Care has made from near bankruptcy at the turn of the century to today’s strong financial position,” said George E. Read more.

The Camden Community Partnership, the Office of the Mayor of Camden and The Cooper Foundation have joined forces once again to spread holiday cheer by providing 1,500 Thanksgiving meals to senior citizens across the City of Camden who might otherwise not have enough food to be able to enjoy the holiday. The effort, mostly funded by an anonymous family donor, has become a local tradition. Read more.

Cooper University Health Care has named Kristin Knapp, MD, a third-year general surgical resident and an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, as the 2022 Cooper Armed Forces Person of the Year.

“Dr. Knapp is an inspiration and an outstanding leader who has made impressive contributions to Cooper, the community, and the nation through her service as a physician and as a military officer and is deserving of this recognition from her team members,” said Kevin O’Dowd, JD, co-CEO of Cooper. Read more.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, approximately 60 million people in the U.S. have arthritis.

Although there are many types and causes of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most common. Sometimes known as “wear and tear” arthritis or degenerative joint disease, it is the progressive breakdown of cartilage, our joints’ shock absorbers.

People with osteoarthritis often experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• Pain that increases over time
• Stiffness
• Limping
• Weakness
• Swelling
• Poor range of motion
• Problems walking or doing other everyday activities

Treating Arthritis

“There are several approaches your health care provider may recommend to ease the pain of arthritis and restore mobility,” says Matthew Brown, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Cooper University Health Care. Read more.

“Most people who get RSV will only experience mild symptoms, much like the common cold,” says Mara Gordon, MD, a family medicine physician at Cooper University Health Care. “But others may develop severe respiratory complications, including difficulty breathing.”

Most children contract RSV before their second birthday and it is highly contagious. With symptoms so similar to a cold, many RSV infections are missed. Read more.

This month, the Level I Trauma Center at Cooper University Health Care is celebrating its 40^th anniversary of serving South Jersey. From humble beginnings in November 1982, starting as a “demonstration project” to assess the need for dedicated trauma services in the region, Cooper is now one of only three state-designated Level 1 Trauma Centers in the New Jersey and is the busiest in the region, providing life-saving services to nearly 4,000 patients annually. Read more.