Regional not-for-profit builds on more than a century of service with 43% average annual growth, expanded diagnostic and pharmacy services, and a three-year plan to create 75–100 jobs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
South Bend, IN — August 26, 2026 — For more than a century, SBMF has been woven into the fabric of regional healthcare — quietly, steadily, and without fanfare. Since its founding in 1912, the organization has earned the trust of patients, providers, and hospitals through consistent performance and an unwavering commitment to the communities it serves. Today, that same commitment drives something new: a period of strategic transformation that is reshaping SBMF from the inside out and expanding what it is capable of offering.
Over the past three years, SBMF has experienced bottom line growth at an average annual rate of 43% – and grown from a $15 million organization to a $150 million enterprise – without losing sight of the mission that has guided it for generations. This growth is not the product of chance. It reflects deliberate investment in people, technology, and services that the region genuinely needs.
A New Structure for a New Chapter
To support continued growth and deliver deeper expertise across service lines, SBMF is transitioning to a four-division model with SBMF as the parent organization. Each division reflects an area where the organization sees both strong community need and the organizational capability to meet it.
SBMFDx: The division most familiar to the region, SBMF Dx brings together anatomic pathology, blood services, and the return of clinical laboratory under one roof. SBMF has long been known as the region’s blood bank, and hospitals and providers have looked to SBMF’s anatomic pathology capabilities for years. The reintegration of clinical laboratory services – blood drawing and blood testing – marks a significant milestone, representing the careful, deliberate expansion of capabilities that the community has been waiting for. This expansion will bring an estimated 50 employment opportunities to the Michiana area.
SBMFRx: Having acquired five regional specialty pharmacies in 2026, SBMFRx is focused on delivering clinical expertise and superior patient and physician experience in the communities they serve. Additional locations are planned. With the potential for 20 additional jobs here in the South Bend area.
ChartPro: A release-of-information company that is transforming medical practice workflows through the management of medical record requests. ChartPro’s footprint is expanding from the Southeast into the Midwest, bringing new efficiencies to provider offices and additional employment opportunities to the area.
The Innovation Institute: Building on SBMF’s long history of healthcare technology leadership – including its recent digital pathology rollout – the Innovation Institute will serve as a regional and national hub for education, research and development, and technology services. It is designed to drive meaningful change both within SBMF and across the broader healthcare community, specifically in the area of pathology.
The Return of Clinical Laboratory Services
Among the most meaningful announcements in SBMF’s recent history is the planned return of clinical laboratory services in 2027. SBMF previously offered blood drawing and blood testing until 2019, when those services were discontinued. After seven years, and following significant infrastructure investment and operational planning, SBMF is prepared to bring those services back- this time as part of a fully integrated diagnostics division.
The relaunch reflects both the community’s needs and SBMF’s readiness. It is the outcome of years of groundwork, and it positions SBMF to once again offer the complete continuum of laboratory services the region depends upon.
Investing in People and Community
SBMF projects the creation of 75 to 100 new jobs in the region over the next three years. These are not abstract numbers – they represent local livelihoods, career growth, and community stability. As a not-for-profit organization, SBMF reinvests its earnings in its infrastructure and in the communities it serves. Growth, for SBMF, is not measured solely in revenue milestones. It is measured by creating new opportunities, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, and expanding the services available to the people and institutions we serve.
SBMF’s three-year revenue target is $775 million — an ambitious but achievable goal grounded in the strength of its current trajectory, its strategic plan across divisions, and its disciplined approach to organic and inorganic growth.
“We have heard the calls of current and future clients, and we are responding; that response requires us to grow. Our goal is to provide the healthcare services our communities require. We will continue to invest in our growth, our people, and our communities.” Tim Travis, President, SBMF
About SBMF
Founded in 1912, SBMF is a not-for-profit healthcare organization and long-standing pillar of the regional healthcare community. Best known as the region’s blood bank and blood donor centers, SBMF also serves as the regional anatomic pathology laboratory and, beginning in 2027, will once again provide clinical laboratory (blood testing) services. SBMF operates through four divisions – SBMFDx, SBMFRx, ChartPro, and the Innovation Institute – and returns all earnings to its testing infrastructure and the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.sbmf.org.
Media Inquiries:
Dominic Carpenter, VP Marketing and Business Development, SBMF
574-204-4483
dcarpenter@sbmf.org
