Doctor Gives Back

By Scott Deininger
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS

Whether it's swinging a golf club as part of a fund-raiser for his high school alma madder or treating patients stricken with prostate cancer, Dr. Renaldo Jarrell continues to reach out to others in Chicago and Joliet, enabling them to live life a little bit easier.

"While I was growing up, we had a family friend that was a physician," recalled the 40-year-old Jarrell. "He was a friend of my father's and I knew him as more of a friend than a doctor. He even took a genuine interest in my schooling and sports activities. As a child, I figured it would be cool to be a doctor if they were all like this."

Now Dr. Jarrell is just like that childhood friend, lending his time to local organizations and giving scholarships to high school students who have been accepted to college.

In November of last year, the Joliet Chapter of the National Hook-up For Black Women, Inc. (NHBW, Inc.) honored Dr. Jarrell for his service in the field of health. The NHBW Inc. is non-profit organization that works to uplift and support the African-American community. The Joliet chapter began in 1991

"Dr. Jarrell has spoken on behalf of our organization to promote awareness on diabetes, hypertension and prostate cancer," said former Joliet NHBW president Deborah Summers, a founding member. "The positive energy that Dr. Jarrell brings is outstanding. And then you take his overly caring nature. He's truly an inspiration."

Dr. Jarrell credits his upbringing and close-knit family as being the most influential aspect of his life. His father was successful in real estate and his mother worked as the business's accountant. They stressed academics and a committed, serious work ethic. Jarrell's uncle was the first African American superintendent of schools in the country, working 15 years in Atlanta.

"One time I stopped by his (uncle's) house while I was at school at Morehouse," remembered Jarrell, "and President Jimmy Carter called. Seeing that kind of notoriety and success made me want to work harder and achieve more."

"My father gave me some great advice. He said that it's okay for someone to be better at something than you. But it's not okay for them to be better simply because they worked harder than you. They ingrained in me that I was going to college," said Jarrell. "I grew up with the attitude that education was very important. I strived to be the best I could be and knew I had my parents support, demands and expectations driving me."

Dr. Jarrell was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from Whitney Young High School. He attended Dartmouth University of the esteemed Ivy League for two years. However, viewed as an isolated, conservative and sometimes racist institution by Jarrell, he left Dartmouth and finished his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from Southern Illinois University with a Medical Doctorate in 1990.

Taking the advice of a fellow doctor at Chicago's Mercy Hospital, Dr. Jarrell sought opportunities outside of the city when his residency was complete.

"I was told there were too many physicians in Chicago and that if I wanted to start my own practice, I'd be better off in a smaller, established area," Dr. Jarrell recalled. "So I looked to the suburbs and interviewed in Joliet."

In 1993 Dr. Jarrell joined the Glenwood Medical Group, working alongside Dr. Brian Ragona and Dr. Robert Warren Schubert. When the medical group filed bankruptcy in that same year, Ragona, Schubert and Jarrell started up their own internal medicine practice, Optima Medical Associates. Today, they have offices in Joliet at 1050 Essington Road and in Shorewood at 700 West Jefferson Street.

"It was kind of different coming to Joliet," said Dr. Jarrell, the youngest of four children. "Having grown up in Chicago and around only black doctors, I was naïve enough to think that all doctors were black. It was unique for me when I came to Joliet and people were surprised to see me. It was a complete 180."

Ironically, Dr. Jarrell has a very diversified patient population that extends throughout Will County. He also believes that being an
understanding, comforting physician is something that can set patients at ease, especially those patients of different cultures.

"If a patient feels that he or she has something in common with me," said Dr. Jarrell, a Homer Township resident, "they're able to relate to me, realizing that I have kids at home and other concerns similar to their own. I love being able to break the ice by talking about the game over the weekend or a round of golf I played."

"Some physicians create an image of being unapproachable. I want my personality to come out and my patients to trust me, knowing that I can be seen as a friend as well as their doctor. It just makes things easier for everyone."

Dr. Jarrell has been active in the Joliet community, making people aware of diabetes and prostate cancer, a disease that is extremely prevalent within the African America race. Black men have the highest incidents of prostate cancer in the world. Knowing this, Dr. Jarrell, along with Joliet's Mount Zion Church, NHBW, Inc. and Provena St. Joseph's Medical Center, has conducted free annual screenings for prostate cancer over the past five years.

"It's something that needs to be talked about seriously," said Dr. Jarrell [about prostate cancer]. "Because the exam is an uncomfortable one by its nature, many men feel that it violates a part of their masculinity, unfortunately. However, that masculinity isn't going to do you any good if you're not here. You need to get checked to detect the cancer early enough to cure it."

Men in their 40s, if they are in the high risk groups of either being African American or having the cancer in their family, need to get checked once a year. If you're not in a high-risk group, annual exams can begin at 50.

"In this day and age, to have a doctor who takes the time to talk with folks like Dr. Jarrell does is something special," said John Herod, 48, who has played a key role in arranging the free exams while also serving as Co-Chairman of the Men's Ministry at Mount Zion Church. "We're lucky to have someone like Dr. Jarrell to educate the men and women about the reality of prostate cancer. Word of mouth awareness is the most effective way of getting men to the screenings." Herod said that, from the free exams, about three to five men a year are found to have prostate cancer in some stage. About one hundred men have been screened annually since 1999.

Although some men may not be diagnosed with having actual prostate cancer, the screenings can reveal other problems according to Dr. Jarrell. A swollen prostate, trouble with urination and some sexual dysfunction can be detected and attended to through regular screening.

"My experience knowing Dr. Jarrell has been great," said Barbara Spann, Health Care Chairperson for the NHBW and Registered Nurse at Silver Cross Hospital. "He's well respected here. I know people look forward to hearing him speak and just being able to visit with him. Many of his patients even come to the annual screenings to make things more comfortable for those non-patients. That shows what Dr. Jarrell's efforts have meant to this community."

"My parents taught me that 'those who have' help everyone else," said Jarrell, whose wife Michelle is expecting their third child. "It's not
enough to just attain for yourself. What you're able to give back and use to help other people makes the difference."

For the last seven years, Dr. Jarrell and two other former Whitney Young classmates have teamed up to form the Young Linksmen, holding a golf tournament at Balmoral Woods. One hundred percent of the proceeds go towards scholarships for African American students at Whitney Young who have been accepted to college and have maintained a minimum 2.5 GPA. Generally two or three scholarships have been awarded yearly.

"The three of us weren't the best students academically," admitted Jarrell of the Young Linksmen, "but we all did well. We feel that our dedicated teachers helped us out as much as possible. This fund-raiser is our way of assisting the C+ student to get some money that normally goes to the students with better grades."

Because of the strong adult influences he had growing up, Jarrell believes that kids of tomorrow need that even more so today.

"If we want America to be in good shape when we're 70, we owe it to ourselves to help our kids," said Jarrell. "Sometimes parents don't have the knowledge or ability to make the difference for their kids. That's when others need to intervene. It's not all about being seen. Sometimes it's best to be heard and set an example whether you're a doctor, lawyer or even a blue-collar employee. It's not about having all the money or the most prestigious job. It's about being a positive, productive member of society and that comes with no dollar signs."