In 1799, the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Gloucester County ". . . procures (sic) a poor-house in the County . . . to enable all persons who are a public charge to be provided for by said County. . . in the amount of $5,600 . . . " The first building was constructed on the present site in 1816 for people with psychiatric disorders.

New Jersey legislators split off some land in 1844 to help create what is now Camden County. For the next 16 years, Camden and Gloucester Counties shared responsibility for the building and grounds. Camden County purchased the facility and additional land from Gloucester County in 1860 for slightly less than $20,000. An alms house dedicated in 1872 remained occupied as a clinical site and later as a support services site for the next 124 years.

An award for construction of a new mental health facility totaling $13,000 was awarded in 1878 - - - a year in which annual compensation for the superintendent amounted to $800 and the cost of weekly patient care was $1.50. Additional land was purchased 12 years later and services of a physician contracted for $450 annually.

Emerging healthcare trends prompted the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders to establish services for tuberculosis patients in 1914. Construction for a $1.6 million TB building began in 1924 and a year later an additional 234 acres was purchased from Gloucester County and added to Camden County. Further expansion into acute care services followed in 1933 with the construction of a 200-bed general hospital which currently houses offices and programs of the Camden County Department of Health and Human Services.

The mid-50's witnessed the conversion of the tuberculosis hospital into long-term care services.

Much of the Center's historical profile between the 1960's and late 1980's is flawed with operational inefficiencies, political uncertainties, and negative perceptions by the community. The Freeholders in 1975 allocated $4.5 million to implement court-ordered improvements.

The Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders created a blue-ribbon panel in 1988 to assess whether the Center would remain open and, if so, what corrective actions were needed to adequately address the County's healthcare needs.

One of the first recommendations of the Committee was to create an independent Board of Managers to oversee day-to-day operations, with the Freeholders retaining overall direction. The Board of Managers, in turn, upgraded its administrative team to bring in a new level of professionalism. One of the top priorities called for construction of a new facility that would both meet stringent life-safety codes and provide an unmatched environment for patients and residents.

Ground was broken in 1993 for a single facility that would consolidate all clinical and support services, previously spread among nine buildings, into one 226,000 square-foot building. Dedication ceremonies attended by over 325 civic and business leaders took place on April 19, 1996, and a separate community open house saw 1,100 area residents attending.

Recognizing its fiscal responsibility to County taxpayers, the Center's Board of Managers and administrative team obtained funding for the project through the issuance of $45 million in publicly-issued bonds. Repayment of these bonds is achieved by and large through normal third-party reimbursement systems and the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Hospitals.

The original vision of local officials was to ensure people benefited from the very best care from skilled professionals in modern surroundings. What has emerged over 200 years is an on-going reaffirmation to that initial commitment. While much has changed since those formative years, the guiding principles and ideals that helped forge the County's pledge to healthcare excellence remain constant.

Today, Camden County Health Services Center stands as one of the recognized leaders in long-term and behavioral healthcare services and is among the 10 largest healthcare providers in southern New Jersey.