Royal Cape Cod’s Executive Director Peter LeBrun and long-time employees
Felicia Monahan and Nina Haskell presented a commemorative plaque to
RHG founder Jim Mamary at the facility’s 10-year celebration in November.
Royal Nursing Facilities Embark on Second Decade of Excellence
Ten years into any endeavor is a good time to take stock of where you’ve been, and where you’re going. In the case of two skilled nursing facilities of the family-owned Royal Health Group, it’s also a time to celebrate.
This year, both Royal Cape Cod Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and Royal Taber Street Nursing and Rehabilitation Center are marking the beginning of a second decade of excellence under Royal Health Group ownership. The highly-rated, JCAHO-accredited Royal Cape Cod is one of the most respected skilled nursing facilities in Eastern Massachusetts, and for a second consecutive year the five-star Royal Taber Street has earned the coveted “full compliance” designation from the Department of Public Health. To receive this seal of approval in any given year is a significant accomplishment, but to earn it two years in a row puts Taber Street in an elite category shared by only a small percentage of nursing homes nationwide.
RGH founder and owner Jim Mamary was Cape Cod Nursing’s first administrator, and Felicia Monahan, who first worked in the building in 1979, knew the facility was in good hands.
“He listened…I had a feeling this guy was genuinely sincere about what he promised.”
And what was Mamary’s promise? That his new facility would be given “everything we needed to provide a level of quality care that we could all be proud of,” said Monahan. “He stood by his word.”
Mamary had been in health care all his adult life, going into business for himself with the acquisition of Royal Megansett Nursing and Retirement Home in 1997, and a nursing home on Main Street in Falmouth (now Royal Falmouth) two years later. In recent years, skilled nursing facilities in Fairhaven and Braintree and an assisted living community in Harwich have been added to the list of RHG properties. In Royal Cape Cod and Royal Taber Street, Mamary would acquire facilities that originally had been private homes, enhancing their charm.
Royal Cape Cod is a Spanish-style villa that was the centerpiece of an estate on Buttermilk Bay, with courtyards, sprawling green lawns, lavish gardens, and million dollar water views.
Royal Taber Street, located in the historic West End section of seafaring New Bedford, was built in 1912 as the private residence of George Cherry of the Cherry and Webb clothier company. But Mamary was acquiring more than unique buildings: he was acquiring a dedicated staff, many of whom are still with Royal.
“They cared about what they were doing - without many resources,” recalls Mamary.
Over the years, countless employees have placed their own family members in Royal homes. Taber Street activities director Natalie Sheffield, who’s worked at the home since 1973, had her mother at the facility for two and a half years before she passed away in October at the age of 97.
“I wouldn’t have brought her anywhere else,” said Sheffield.
Felicia Monahan’s 95 year-old mother is currently a resident at Royal Cape Cod, and Executive Director Peter LeBrun has had both his mother and mother-in-law stay at the beautiful villa on the bay.
Laura McGuire, the first Director of Nursing at Taber Street, had three family members - her mother, father and sister - at the facility. Laura, who lives out of state now, comes back every year to work in the summer, and fill in when visiting during the winter.
“I still think of Taber Street as my second home.”
Nina Haskell first came through the doors at Royal Cape Cod 37 years ago to help a friend cover a shift, and she’s been there ever since, handling medical records and supplies.
“Jim made you feel comfortable. It’s always been a homey atmosphere here, like a family,” said Haskell.
The “family” theme is echoed time and time again by long time employees. Rita Camera will mark her 20th anniversary at Taber Street in May.
“It’s like home to me,” says Camera. “Everyone gets along, and when new people come in, they become family, too. We just bring them into the fold!”
Nurse’s assistant Rita Mattos, a 26-year veteran of Taber Street, calls the facility her “home away from home.”
“I love ‘my ladies,’” as Rita calls the residents on her floor. “I enjoy talking to them…I sing and dance for them all the time – they love that. It’s really a joy being around them.”
For Rita, and Nina and so many others, it’s all about the residents. It’s all about caring. “This is their home,” Nina Haskell reminds us.
Natalie Sheffield, who started as a part timer pushing a “nourishment cart” through the hallways each day (“I was the ‘Tea Lady’ in the afternoon!”), says “caring” is the key. “You want to give them what you’d want for yourself some day.”
“I like taking care of people,” says Rita Camera. “I like seeing them clean and comfortable.”
Taber Street Executive Director Stacy Grass relates a story that goes to the heart of the caring relationship between Royal staffers and residents:
“We had a resident with no family who passed last year,” remembers Stacy. “Her husband and children had all predeceased her, and she had entrusted her finances to a friend who stole from her prior to admission. We all had special feelings for her, and that included other residents. Holly Medeiros, the unit manager, still has a hard time even saying her name. We were her family. Toward the end of her life, she spoke of how thankful she was to then-executive director James Mamary (son of RHG owner Jim) for helping her to move here, cleaning out her apartment and helping her sell her belongings. It’s still hard to walk past her old room and not see her there...”
As these two jewels of the Royal Health Group family mark a decade of excellence in health care, where they’ve been is not as important as where they are going, with a commitment to innovative, personal care for all those who call Royal Cape Cod and Royal Taber Street “home.”