All 12 Medicare-certified nursing homes in Des Moines,
side by side on the things that separate them: how many nursing hours each resident gets, how much of the
staff leaves each year, and what inspectors found on their last visit.
Scottish Rite Park runs on unusually steady staffing for a 51-bed nonprofit home in Des Moines. Nurses provide 5.15 hours per resident day, roughly a third more than the national average, and only 14% of staff left last year, against a national rate near 46%. Weekend coverage dips about 12% from weekday levels, which is worth asking about, but the bigger caution sits in the inspection record: nine deficiencies, three serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, and six fines totaling $60,726. The most recent state visit was June 2025, so the record is current. Strong care numbers paired with real compliance problems, that mix is what a B reflects.
Calvin Community in Des Moines runs on a nonprofit model with 59 certified beds, and the staffing numbers are its strongest suit: 4.19 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 8% above the national average, with a 5/5 CMS staffing star. Weekend coverage dips about 11% below its own weekday level, which is worth knowing if your visits fall on Saturdays or Sundays. Turnover sits at 31.3% against a national average of 45.8%, meaning workers tend to stay longer here than at most homes. The tradeoff is a 3/5 inspection star with 12 deficiencies on record, though none involved harm or abuse, and one fine totaling $4,233. The last inspection was in December 2025, so the record is recent.
The Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center runs 46 certified beds as a nonprofit, and its last inspection came in April 2026, recent enough to trust the record is current. What that record shows: 13 deficiencies, none at the harm or jeopardy level and none tied to abuse, plus two fines totaling $18,349. Staffing is where the numbers get thin, CMS gives it 1 out of 5 stars, and annual turnover runs 52.9% against a national average of 45.8%, meaning more than half the staff leaves each year. Inspection and quality-measure ratings both sit at 3 out of 5.
Wesley On Grand runs on a solid staffing base: 3.94 nurse hours per resident day, a bit above the national average of 3.86. Weekend coverage dips about 5% from weekday levels, and turnover sits at 44.7%, marginally better than the 45.8% national figure. The inspection record is clean where it matters, four deficiencies total, none causing harm or jeopardy, none abuse-related, with the most recent survey in June 2025. Quality measures land mid-range. It's a nonprofit home with 80 beds whose strongest asset is a spotless harm-level record and dependable weekday staffing; the trade-offs are thinner weekend coverage and a quality-measure score that won't impress anyone.
The Rehabilitation Center of Des Moines runs 74 certified beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and its nurse staffing sits at 3.91 hours per resident day, barely a nose above the national average of 3.86. Weekends thin out about 13% from weekday coverage, so the care you'd see on a Saturday looks lighter than midweek. Turnover is 35.9%, better than the 45.8% national figure, which matters for continuity. What pulls the record down is inspection history: 34 deficiencies on file, including one at harm or jeopardy level and three tied to abuse, with the last survey dated September 2025. The quality measure score of 5 out of 5 contrasts sharply with a 2 out of 5 on both staffing and health inspections, worth asking about directly before deciding.
Valley View Village is a nonprofit home in Des Moines with 79 beds, and its staffing is genuinely its strong point, 4.46 nurse hours per resident day, about 16% above the national average. Weekend coverage dips roughly 9% below weekday levels, which is common but worth knowing if you're visiting on a Saturday. The harder numbers sit elsewhere: staff turnover of 50% runs above the 45.8% national average, and the current record carries 23 deficiencies, including two at the harm or jeopardy level. The last inspection was in May 2025, and one fine totaling $9,110 has been levied. Consistent nursing hours are a real plus, but the inspection history and turnover suggest asking pointed questions about consistency of care.
Trinity Center At Luther Park runs on a nonprofit model with 120 certified beds in Des Moines, and its staffing numbers land close to the national average, 3.83 nurse hours per resident day against 3.86 nationally, though weekends dip roughly 10% below its own weekday coverage. What stands out more is retention: 26.3% turnover versus a national average of 45.8%, meaning workers here tend to stay. The trouble sits in inspections. Thirteen deficiencies are on record, including one at the harm level and two tied to abuse, plus a single fine of $162,205. The most recent inspection was December 23, 2025. Families weighing this home should ask directly about those abuse-related findings and what changed since.
Ramsey Village runs a nonprofit home of 78 beds in Des Moines, and its staffing is the strongest part of the picture: 4.05 nurse hours per resident day, roughly 5% above the national average. The catch is consistency, weekend coverage drops about 11% below weekday levels, and turnover sits at 47.1%, just above the national figure. The inspection record is where families should slow down. Thirty-one deficiencies are on file, including one at the harm level and two tied to abuse, and the last inspection was August 2025. A 2/5 health inspection rating alongside that count tells you the day-to-day care environment has drawn repeated federal scrutiny, even while direct care hours look adequate on paper.
Accura Healthcare of South Des Moines runs 89 beds under limited liability ownership, and its staffing numbers look decent on paper, 3.93 nurse hours per resident day, a hair above the national average, though weekends drop about 13% below its own weekday coverage. The trouble sits elsewhere: 67 deficiencies on the current record, including four at the harm or jeopardy level and seven tied to abuse, with two fines totaling $52,632. Staff turnover runs 47.6%, higher than the national average, and the health inspection rating sits at 1 out of 5. The most recent inspection was July 2025, so the record is current, not stale. Good weekday staffing alone doesn't offset that inspection history.
University Park runs on thinner nurse staffing than most homes, 3.41 hours per resident day against a national average of 3.86, and weekends dip about 10% below what it manages during the week. The bigger number is turnover: 97.5% of nursing staff leaving annually, roughly double the national rate, which means the people caring for residents are constantly new. Inspections in March 2026 turned up 22 deficiencies, one tied to abuse, though none rose to the level of actual harm. Its quality measure scores look strong on paper, but those rest on data the staff has to collect and report accurately, and a workforce that turns over almost completely every year makes consistency hard. For-profit corporate ownership, 108 beds.
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.