Sr. Maura Brannick Health Center Celebrates 40 Years of Care

 The book True to Her Vows – The Story of Sister Maura Brannick, C.S.C. opens with a dedication page reading, “These pages are dedicated to the countless men, women and children who never knew what it was like to have access to basic medical care in their neighborhood prior to 1986.”

It is with this commitment that the Sr. Maura Brannick Health Center opened in a two-stall, 400-square foot carriage house (garage) on South Bend’s west side in 1986.  Forty years, two locations, a point-of-light designation by President George H.W. Bush and thousands of patients later, the health center bearing her name continues the mission of one dedicated Sister of the Holy Cross to provide free care to patients in need.

From that small carriage house to a clinic on Chapin Street, where a local motorcycle gang with its clubhouse next door looked after Sr. Maura, to its current 10,000-square foot location in a strip mall at the corner of Chapin St. and Western Ave. in South Bend, the mission has remained to provide health care to those in our community experiencing poverty.  With the support of Saint Joseph Health System and the Foundation of SJHS, Sr. Maura’s dream continues to be a beacon of light to those in need.  With a food pantry, community health workers, interpreters and an abundance of compassion, the Sr. Maura Brannick Health Center meets the medical needs of our community.  Through physicians who have volunteered their time over the years to the paid staff of SJHS, the focus continues to be on providing accessible healthcare to all.

As we kick off this celebration of 40 years of care at Sr. Maura’s, we ask you to consider making a financial contribution to help sustain this vision of Sr. Maura. To learn more about Sr. Maura’s, its history, and how you can help please, contact Steve Funk, Director of Philanthropy, at steven.funk@sjrmc.com or 574-335-1012.

Make a Gift to Sr. Maura Brannick Health Center in celebration of our 40th Anniversary