Advocate.

From medical directors, to financial officers and clergy members, to attorneys, engineers and marketing professionals, the Saint Therese Foundation Board of Directors supports the organization with a wealth of knowledge to ensure the mission of the organization is fulfilled. With seven different boards and six different sub committees each Saint Therese entity has a group of individuals working on their behalf behind the scenes of every day care. Individuals like Dr. Christopher Downey.

Dr. Downey has been supporting the Saint Therese organization since the early 80s. Back then he was a rounding physician, visiting with patients at the Saint Therese of New Hope campus. Today, he is the Board Chair of the Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake campus and sits on several sub-committees.

“I’m really an old time Marcus Welby,” he said with a smile. “I believe in serving the whole person.”

Dr. Downey assisted Saint Therese in opening the first palliative care wing in the upper Midwest. After operating as one campus for over 35 years, Dr. Downey helped lead the effort to create the Oxbow Lake campus in Brooklyn Park.

“The board is tasked with knowing what is going on in the market and finding how Saint Therese fits into it,” Downey said. “With an evolving market, we must grow with medicine, with the business of medicine. All the while, we must find the right opportunity to provide dignity to individuals and families as they transition in life.”

Dr. Downey is just one of 19 individuals on the Saint Therese Foundation Board of Directors who are continually supporting and advocating for seniors and their families.