Nursing homes across Polk County, Iowa, graded on the federal inspection
record, nurse staffing and staff turnover. County rank is shown on each home's profile.
Parkridge Specialty Care runs 90 certified beds in Pleasant Hill under nonprofit corporate ownership, and its staffing sits at 3.27 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 15% under the national average of 3.86, with weekends dropping about 10% below its own weekday levels. Turnover is 44.9%, essentially in line with the national 45.8%. The inspection record is the harder part: 49 deficiencies, including three at harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse, plus one fine of $34,450, and the most recent inspection was October 2025. A 1-star health inspection rating against a 3-star staffing rating tells you where the problems cluster, not necessarily in raw hours, but in how care is delivered and documented when regulators look closely.
The Bridges at Ankeny runs on thinner nurse coverage than most Iowa homes, 3.55 hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends drop about 12% below its own weekday level, exactly when families tend to visit. Staff turnover is the harder number to get past: 99.1% a year means roughly the entire nursing staff turns over annually, against a national rate near 46%. Its current inspection record carries 39 deficiencies, two of them serious enough to reach harm or jeopardy level, plus a $14,015 fine. The five-star quality measure score reflects how residents are doing clinically; the two-star inspection and staffing ratings reflect what's happening around them.
On With Life Long Term Care is small, 40 certified beds run by a nonprofit corporation, and its inspection record is genuinely strong: a five-star health inspection rating, seven total deficiencies, and none of them at the harm or jeopardy level or tied to abuse. That's the part families worry about most, and it's clean. The weaker signal sits in the quality measures, where it rates two stars, so the day-to-day clinical outcomes the federal data tracks don't look as good as the survey history. The most recent inspection was December 31, 2025, so the picture is current. A small nonprofit with a spotless harm record is worth a visit; ask specifically about the quality measures before deciding.
Harmony West Des Moines runs 113 beds under corporate ownership, and the numbers explain the record. Nurse staffing sits at 3.59 hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends dip roughly 10% below its own weekday level, so coverage is thinnest exactly when families tend to visit. Staff turnover is 58.9%, well above the 45.8% national figure, which makes consistent care hard to sustain.
The inspection history is the heavier problem: 46 deficiencies on the current record, including one at the harm level and five tied to abuse. The health inspection rating is 1 out of 5, with the most recent inspection dated March 5, 2026. Quality measures score better at 3 out of 5, but that sits alongside a 2 out of 5 for staffing.
Altoona Nursing and Rehabilitation Center carries 48 deficiencies on its current record, including one tied to abuse, though none reached the harm or jeopardy level. The 106-bed for-profit home in Polk County was inspected most recently on March 19, 2026. Where the numbers get harder to explain away is staffing: CMS gives it 1 out of 5 stars there, and its annual turnover sits at 97.8 percent against a national average of 45.8 percent. That means the aides and nurses caring for residents are, almost without exception, new to the building each year. Inspection and quality measures each land at 2 stars. Families weighing this home against others nearby should ask directly how they hold onto caregivers.
Greater Southside runs on 3.44 nurse hours per resident per day, about 11% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 22% below its own weekday staffing. That thinner coverage adds up over time: 62.3% of staff left last year against a 45.8% national rate, and CMS flags the home as a Special Focus Facility. The inspection record backs that up, 66 deficiencies, including 8 at harm or jeopardy level and 8 tied to abuse, with four fines totaling $166,443. The most recent inspection was June 2025. For a family weighing this one, the staffing and inspection numbers are the ones that matter most.
Azria Health Park Place carries 70 certified beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and the numbers tell a hard story. Three-and-a-half nurse staffing hours per resident day sits about 9% under the national average, and weekends dip roughly 12% below the home's own weekday levels, so the thinnest coverage lands when families are most likely to visit. Staff turnover near 70% runs well above the national 46%, which means the people providing care keep changing. On inspections, the record shows 70 deficiencies, including three at harm or jeopardy level and five tied to abuse, plus $36,875 in fines. CMS has placed this home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the most persistently troubled nursing homes.
Pine Acres holds 140 certified beds in West Des Moines under for-profit LLC ownership, and the nurse staffing figure, 3.84 hours per resident day, sits roughly even with the national average, though weekends run about 7% thinner than weekdays. The record is where the trouble shows: 85 deficiencies, nine of them at harm or jeopardy level and three abuse-related, plus $353,109 in fines across three CMS actions. Staff turnover is 56.9% against a national 45.8%, and CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the most persistently poor performers. The last inspection was January 8, 2026.
Bishop Drumm is run by a church-affiliated nonprofit, and its staffing numbers tell two stories. Nurse hours sit at 3.64 per resident day, about 6% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 13% below its own weekday coverage. Turnover is the bright spot: 34.9% against a national 45.8%, which suggests people stay. But the inspection record is where this home falls apart, 77 deficiencies, 9 of them at harm or jeopardy level, four fines totaling $258,177, and a place in CMS's Special Focus Facility program, reserved for the country's most troubled homes. A July 2025 inspection is recent, so the picture isn't stale.
Royal Oaks is a 115-bed for-profit home in Urbandale that CMS has placed in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for the homes with the most persistent problems. The inspection record backs that up: 71 deficiencies, seven serious enough to put residents in harm's way, two tied to abuse, and three fines totaling $122,945. Staffing runs about 6% under the national average, and the gap widens on weekends, when coverage drops roughly 9% below its own weekday level. Turnover sits at 66.7%, well above the 45.8% national figure, so the people caring for residents are constantly changing. If you're considering this one, ask hard questions about what's changed since the May 2025 inspection.