SPECIAL ISSUE

Giving back to community is Naren Patel’s mission

Naren Patel, owner, president, and CEO of Medstar Laboratory.

By J.V. Lakshmana Rao

Chicago: Naren Patel, owner, president, and CEO of Medstar Laboratory Inc., is a role model. He is a pioneer, who started the first Indian newspaper called India Times the in Chicagoland area, in partnership with Thakor Patel, a journalist from India, in the 1975. In 1976, it was taken over by Thakor Patel along with a group of investors, and in 1978, it was acquired by Naren Soni. And in 1979 it was merged with India Tribune.
Naren Patel is a strong believer in giving back to the community by supporting cultural, social, political, religious, humanitarian, and health-related organizations. Being the owner and CEO of Medstar Laboratory, he provides free services to uninsured families. He believes in providing employment opportunities with health insurance benefits to newly arrived Indian immigrants in Chicago to help start their new life in the United States.
Patel provided the funding and equipment to a local resident of Ahmedabad to establish an office in India. He continually supports the office in Ahmedabad by outsourcing the paperwork to it, thus providing employment op-portunities in India as well.
Medstar is a full service clinical laboratory, which provides quality, services to more than 450 medical facilities in Illinois. Medstar Laboratory recently obtained a contract from one of the largest privately held nursing home chains in the state of Illinois. Medstar Laboratory provides services to numerous community-based organizations such as BAPS International Non- Profit Organization, Itasca Temple, Midwest Asian Community Center, Indian American Medical Association Charitable Foundation’s Free Clinic, and several other temples, churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Naren Patel graduated in pharmacy from Gujarat State University in 1969. He served as the director of quality control in the pharmacy industry in Chicago from 1971 to 1973. He was then promoted as a research chemist in pharmacology in 1973. He continued his service as the chief of toxicology until 1982. He is a successful businessman. He started his first medical center in 1977 and has acquired and opened many more to date.
Naren Patel supports various community-based and non-profit organizations and provides financial assistance to natural disaster areas in India. He sponsors events for worthy causes and for the development of Indian community in the United States. He has been recognized with numerous exceptional commendations. In 2003, he received an award from the Association of Indian Pharmacist in America (AIPHA) and in 2004, from the Indian American Medical Association Charitable Foun-dation (IAMACF) for outstanding community services and support. He also received the 2005 Distinguished Com-munity Service Award of the City of Chicago from Mayor Richard M. Daley. Patel received the First Asian American Outstanding Leadership Achievement Award from the Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Recently on September 29, 2007, Naren Patel received an Outstanding Community Leader Award from Indian American Democratic Or-ganization (IADO).
He was also the president of Care & Share USA International. Under his leadership, Care & Share has built 50 houses for the tsunami victims in India. Naren Patel convinced the Care and Share board members to purchase a school bus to provide transportation to the blind children in Kerala. He has helped Kutch area by building houses for victim of 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Current-ly, Naren Patel is serving on the Board of Directors of Indian American Medical Association Charitable Foun-dation. He has served as the parade and banquet chair for the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).
His commitment and dedication to work and support his community is remarkable. He has served on the Board of Directors for many years as well as president of Six Gaam Patidar Samaj.
Naren Patel’s involvement in various charities has touched many lives. He has improved the lives of many in the Unites States as well as in India.

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