Broad Reach Healthcare Happenings

He also is a Cape Cod native, 93 years old on April 23, so there aren’t many who can make that claim for as long, or boast a sharper memory. Nor are there many who add the title “President” to a nonagenarian resume.

Karl assumed his new role in March, elected in February by a vote of Liberty Commons’ residents. The resident council group of 10 or more meets monthly to remain up-to-date on facility operations, offer feedback and develop suggestions on the facility and its operation. A key role is to relate any and all concerns residents might have to administration and staff, then relay answers and information through the community. The Resident Council also offers a forum for residents to become educated about their rights while residing in a long-term care facility, helping to make a caring environment the best it can be.

Karl is an Air Force Veteran who was stationed in Japan and served in Korea. Growing up a baseball catcher calling pitches, playing in the Cape League as far back as 1947 (including tryouts for the Red Sox), then becoming a land surveyor during Cape Cod’s boom years, was all good experience. But he’s quick to say that if anything serious shows up – which hasn’t really happened yet – he knows what his gameplan will be:   “I’ll go ask Steve what he thinks.”

Steve Franco has been at Broad Reach for 13 years as the activity and recreation director, 33 years in the health care field, so he’s seen pretty much every situation that might arise. He also facilitates the resident council, coordinating meetings and agendas, presenting latest updates and information.  Of late much of the discussion has been COVID related. “Key questions have been on everyone’s mind,” says Franco: “When can visitors come in? When can we go back out? Of course many aspects keep changing, so I remind everyone to please inform their peers, and then if they hear anything, please bring it to the next meeting.”

Pre-COVID, topics ranged from dining questions to a note that one area of the facility might need better lighting, or a report that new windows being were being installed. “Anything is a big thing,” says Franco, “because everything matters.” Another example; when the council received reports that a threshold on the way into the dining area was creating a little bump for wheelchairs passing through, the issue was raised and the floor smoothed out.

Recently most of the feedback has been “gratitude to the staff” for working through tough times, but not only that. For example, we just voted on one thing: There is a player piano here that was purchased around 2016, in the lobby, connected to the Internet. One day it konked out, but we put that on the back burner because we weren’t gathering much during the pandemic, and it was an expensive repair. So last week, we voted to fix it, and use more than $2000 from the resident council’s fundraising (bake sales and the like). They all felt really good about it, and the message it sent: Hey, it’s time to party again!  “There was another strong sentiment expressed at the time: We are looking forward to our series of summer cookouts!”

Another responsibility of the council and its president is to meet with a Massachusetts Department of Public Health team that conducts a nursing home survey inspection every 9-15 months for multiple days. Included in that tour, inspectors meet with the Resident Council and review the council’s meeting minutes.

Karl as President becomes part of the facility “exit interview,” directly hearing the survey team’s findings and offering feedback.



“The council’s role,” says Franco, “is to be witnesses for the residents. And then, participate in the development of choices regarding activities, food, personal care, living arrangements, all aspects of resident life. Leadership at Broad Reach considers the views of the resident council and acts promptly on recommendations or grievances.”

State and Federal regulations require all skilled nursing facilities to facilitate resident councils, though Public Health officials have told Franco that this one is “exceptional” for its monthly engagement. “What I really like about it is that everyone feels more ownership,” he adds. “After all, this is their home.”

Of course that includes President Clark, though bigger picture Cape Cod will always be his home; one of his sons continues the tradition as varsity soccer coach at Monomoy High School. And before COVID, when the council sponsored a field trip to see a Chatham A’s Cape League baseball game, of course Karl was all for it. Broad Reach CEO Bill Bogdanovich threw out the first pitch; had it been a few years earlier, Karl Clark would have caught it.

Established in Chatham in 1986, now a multifaceted community, Broad Reach Healthcare is proud to be Cape Cod’s longest-standing locally-owned and operated provider of post-acute care.