History of the Central Blood Bank

The South Bend Medical Foundation was founded in 1912 by local physicians to provide clinical laboratory testing for their patients. South Bend lacked a diagnostic laboratory facility when 23 physicians originally bought shares in a corporation they named the South Bend Laboratory. The laboratory moved to its present site in 1931. By unanimous action, unique in medical and corporate annals, the founding physicians renounced their assets, and in 1946, a not-for-profit corporation was formed.

Dr. A.S. Giordano, the founding director of the South Bend Medical Foundation, made the decision to centralize the distribution of blood to hospitals in St. Joseph County in 1951. Having a central blood bank was necessary to elimimate duplication of the efforts of each hospital operating its own blood bank. Under the new system, the procurement, processing and distribution of blood was streamlined. Known as the Central Blood Bank, Inc., the bank was set up in the South Bend Medical Foundation building. The system included having the South Bend Medical Foundation handle the manufacturing end of the process. The South Bend Junior League was instrumental in the initial staffing and management of the Central Blood Bank. In the preliminary years of the Central Blood Bank, 4,000 - 7,000 units of blood were collected annually.