It’s all about community for Dr. James O’Neill.
He learned that growing up with the American Indians in Williston, North Dakota, 13 miles from where Sitting Bull surrendered.
“One thing I will never forget is where I came from. I think people who forget where they came from have no roots. And that’s unfortunate. That experience of growing up out there was invaluable to me.”
In particular, it’s where he decided to join the medical field.
In Williston, there were some local physicians who kept their horses at O’Neill’s family’s farm.
“I became very, very close to these physicians. And they were a role model for what I believed, what I still believe, physicians should do. They were on-call 24 hours a day. They looked after everybody in that town like it was their family. I thought that was very, very admirable. I was fascinated by, even in the relative primitive times in the ‘50’s, what they could do for people. I think I was seven or eight years when I said, ‘That’s what I want to be. I want to be a physician.’ They do a lot of good.”
In high school, O’Neill was already spending time in the operating room as a preceptor for two years, graduating at age 16.
He spent three years in college, finished medical school by age 23 and completed specialty training by 25 and entered into practice.
“In terms of practice, I always wanted to work in a little town and take care of the people there. And look after not just there medical needs,” O’Neill said, noting looking after their education, safety, and spiritual life.
He came to Clarkston in 1961, a place where his wife, Mikel, an Ohio native, used to vacation with her family. He was working at Henry Ford Hospital, and was looking for a place to practice. Clarkston was the first town he looked.
“When I came to Clarkston, I was very fortunate to meet Dr. (Rockwood) Bullard, Dr. (John) Naz, Dr. (Robert) Buehrig, and Dr. Lynn Howell. They had the same concept of community. You looked after your community and tried to help them in any way you can. And you tried to preserve the land and the wholesomeness of the community, and you looked after the schools, and the workers. They were good role models, kind of like the doctors I knew in Williston.”
Dr. Howell was the one, in fact, who personally invited O’Neill to Clarkston, for there were no pediatricians in the area.
“I fell in love with this town. It reminded me of Williston.”
For the first 20 years, O’Neill would see patients at his home after hours, over time taking care of about 4,200 kids right on his kitchen table, with the aid of his wife.
He then opened a care center with local physicians, about 20 years ago, which grew and grew and eventually spread into the opening of North Oakland Medical Centers, located at 6770 Dixie Highway today.
“This community health center is just an expansion of what I saw in Williston,” he said.
Amidst it all, O’Neill did do a stint as Chief of Medicine at Pontiac General Hospital, but hated administration.
“I was very unhappy doing that. If your really a real nurse or physician or social worker or whatever you are, your great happiness is taking care of people. Little kids and old people, they’re wonderful. Of course, everybody is. We see the best of the world, all these people.”
O’Neill’s love for taking care of people has spread into his family. Daughter Kari manages NOMC. His sons Mike and Danny work in various capacities there as well. His son Timmy is a physician at Genesys Hospital and will soon be coming to practice with dad in Clarkston. The O’Neills also have daughter Megan, who works for the Ave Maria Foundation, and son Devon, who passed away in a car accident, and 12 grandchildren.
“A physician is totally supported by your family. Your family is your lifeline and life’s blood of how you work.”
O’Neill said it’s people like his family, those in the office and in the community, who “prop” him up.
“People do things for me and I’m greatly appreciative of it. I’m cognizant of the fact that I’m a smaller part of a larger whole where a lot of people are doing things that make your life easier and much more efficient. You can do a lot of things in a day because really people are doing most of your work around you and you aim to direct that,” O’Neill said, pointing out he hasn’t been in a shopping center for 40 years.
He also praises community organizations, senior citizen care facilities, police, fire, local politicians and churches for doing their part in helping take care of the local people.
“We need our communities where we look after each other.”
In looking out for others, he’ll always give his patients words of advice.
To the kids, he’ll say things like, “Do what your teachers say,” “Listen to mom and dad,” and “Be nice to all the boys and girls at your school.”
“I never miss an opportunity to reinforce what parents and teachers do every day. Let’s get these kids raised. That’s when community comes together,” he said.
To the adults he’ll advise them, “Don’t smoke,” “Love your kids to pieces,” and “Be a good steward of the land.”
“What’s nice is when (patients) are really down and out, we can sit down and talk to people and tell them to get inside themselves spiritually and remind them that the Great Creator will look after them.”
And O’Neill, who’ll turn 69 in December, has no plans of stopping this care to his community.
“I would never retire. I will be very careful though that some time in my life I will slow down some. There’s an old adage that says when you start out in life do something you love and then you’ll never have to work the rest of your life. I’ve never told my wife I’m going to work. To me, it’s just part of my life. I love every minute of what I do. I never tire of it. Retirement is something I’ve never even thought about.”