Assisted Living and Memory Care
Bickford Cottage Iowa City
3500 Lower W Branch Rd, Iowa City, IA 52245 · Map
Licensed for 65 residents
Bickford Cottage Iowa City is a state-licensed assisted living, memory care community in Iowa City, Iowa. It is licensed for 65 residents. Lilisity publishes no score or ranking for this community; the details below come from the state licensing record.
Prices
This community does not publish its prices.
Area costs
Lilisity’s independent report
What the public record shows
Gathered by Lilisity from state and federal sources. Communities can’t edit this part of the page.
State inspections
Last recertification or initial survey: Mar 26, 2025. See the record
License
Active, 65 residents
Assisted Living Program, dementia specific S0023.
Nearest emergency room
2.3 miles
University Of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down, rated 4 of 5 stars by CMS.
Side by side with nearby communities
The 4 nearest communities that offer assisted living, by straight-line distance. Prices are starting prices each community publishes; we never show estimates.
| Community | Distance | Licensed capacity | Published starting price | License | Inspection citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bickford Cottage Iowa City this community | 65 | Not published | Active | 13 state violations in 3 years | |
| Storypoint Hickory Hill | 1.1 mi | 170 | Not published | Active | No record |
| Legacy Pointe | 1.1 mi | 136 | $4,700/mo | Active | 10 state violations in 3 years |
| Oaknoll AL | 3.9 mi | 84 | Not published | Active | 1 state violation in 3 years |
| The Summit of Coralville | 4.6 mi | 190 | Not published | Active | No record |
State inspection record13 state violations in 3 years
- Last recertification or initial survey
- March 26, 2025
- Visits in three years
- 7
- Complaint visits in three years
- 4
- State violations (all visits)
- 13
- State fines in three years
- 3 ($6,825 after adjustment)
- Certification expires
- December 1, 2026
- No violations cited at the last visit (August 2026)
- Certified since 1998
Visits (newest first)
- August 11, 2026: Complaint, no state violations listed · report
- October 22, 2025: Complaint, Incident, 3 state violations · report
- The program shall follow the policies and procedures established by the program. 481 IAC 67.2(3)
- Criteria for Admission/retention of tenants 69.23(1) Persons who may not be admitted or retained. A program shall not knowingly admit or retain a tenant who: c. Is dangerous to self or other tenants or staff, including but not limited to a tenant who: (1) Despite intervention chronically elopes, is sexually or physically aggressive or abusive, or displays unmanageable verbal abuse or aggression. 481 IAC 69.23(1)c(1)
- If a tenant receives personal or health-related care, the program shall provide for a registered nurse: to assess and document the health status of each tenant, to make recommendations and referrals as appropriate, and to monitor progress relating to previous recommendations at least every 90 days and whenever there are changes in the tenant's health status; and 481 IAC 69.27(1)c
- July 21, 2025: Incident, 3 state violations; Fining & Citation · report · citation
- The program’s policies and procedures on incident reports, at a minimum, shall include the following: b. An incident report shall be in detail and shall be provided on an incident report form. 481 IAC 67.2(1)b
- The program’s policies and procedures on incident reports, at a minimum, shall include the following: c. The person in charge at the time of the incident shall prepare and sign the report. 481 IAC 67.2(1)c
- The program shall follow the policies and procedures established by the program. 481 IAC 67.2(3)
- March 26, 2025: Recertification, Complaint, 2 state violations · report
- Documentation for each tenant shall be maintained by the program and shall include: When the tenant is unable to advocate on the tenant’s own behalf or the tenant has multiple service providers, including hospice care providers, accurate documentation of the completion of routine personal or health-related care is required on task sheets. If tasks are doctor-ordered, the tasks shall be part of the medication administration records (MARs) 481 IAC 69.25(1)q
- If a tenant receives personal or health-related care, the program shall provide for a registered nurse: to monitor, at least every 90 days, or after a significant change in the tenant's condition, any tenant who receives program-administered prescription medications for adverse reactions to the medications and to make appropriate interventions or referrals, and to ensure that the prescription medication orders are current and that the prescription medications are administered consistent with such orders; and 481 IAC 69.27(1)a
- March 26, 2025: Other Revisit (revisit), no state violations listed
- August 14, 2024: Other, 1 state violation; Fining & Citation · report · citation
- The program shall follow the policies and procedures established by the program. 481 IAC 67.2(3)
- February 28, 2024: Complaint, Incident, 4 state violations; Fining & Citation · report · citation
- Number of staff. A sufficient number of trained staff shall be available at all times to fully meet tenants' identified needs. 481 IAC 67.9(1)
- A program shall not knowingly admit or retain a tenant who: a. Is bed-bound; or b. Requires routine, two-person assistance with standing, transfer or evacuation; or c. Is dangerous to self or other tenants or staff, including but not limited to a tenant who: (1) Despite intervention chronically elopes, is sexually or physically aggressive or abusive, or displays unmanageable verbal abuse or aggression; or (2) Displays behavior that places another tenant at risk; or d. Is in an acute stage of alcoholism, drug addiction, or uncontrolled mental illness; or e. Is under the age of 18; or f. Requires more than part-time or intermittent health-related care; or g. Has unmanageable incontinence on a routine basis despite an individualized toileting program; or h. Is medically unstable; or i. Requires maximal assistance with activities of daily living; or j. Despite intervention, chronically urinates or defecates in places that are not considered acceptable according to societal norms, such as on the floor or in a potted plant. 481 IAC 69.23(1)
- A dementia-specific assisted living program shall have one or more staff persons who monitor tenants as indicated in each tenant's service plan. The staff shall be awake and on duty 24 hours a day on site and in the proximate area. The staff shall check on tenants as indicated in the tenants' service plans. A non dementia-specific assisted living program shall have one or more staff persons who monitor tenants as indicated in each tenant's service plan. The staff shall be able to respond to a call light or other emergent tenant needs and be in the proximate area 24 hours a day on site. The staff shall check on tenants as indicated in the tenants' service plans. 481 IAC 69.29(4)
- An operating alarm system shall be connected to each exit door in a dementia-specific program. 481 IAC 69.32(2)
State fines
- Visit July 21, 2025: fine issued July 25, 2025, $5,000, adjusted to $3,250; paid $3,250, owed $0 (enforcement no. 10865)
- Visit August 14, 2024: fine issued September 23, 2024, $500, adjusted to $325; paid $325, owed $0 (enforcement no. 10600)
- Visit February 28, 2024: fine issued June 10, 2024, $5,000, adjusted to $3,250; paid $3,250, owed $0 (enforcement no. 10406)
DIAL Health Facility Database record → (Bickford Cottage Iowa City)
What these terms mean
DIAL's Health Facility Database lists each visit to the program, the number of state violations found, and any certification or licensure action and fine that followed. The scanned report for each visit is linked; it holds the inspectors' findings in full.
Recertification: DIAL's routine survey of the program for its certification. Complaint: a visit to look into a complaint. Incident: a visit to look into an incident the program reported. Initial: the survey of a new program. A revisit is a follow-up visit after an earlier one. A visit can be more than one type.
Iowa Code 231C.14 lets DIAL fine an assisted living program for “noncompliance with any regulatory requirements which presents an imminent danger or a substantial probability of resultant death or physical harm to a tenant,” for continued failure to comply after notice, or for interfering with an inspector. A fine is reduced by 35 percent when the program does not contest it and pays within 30 days; the Assessed Fines Report shows this as “State Adjusted”. “State Susp” is the part suspended.
A complaint visit with no violations listed does not say whether the complaint was substantiated; the linked report does. This program is certified for 65 residents or units; larger programs are visited and cited more often, so read counts with size in mind. Source: Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Health Facilities Division, data as of October 16, 2026. Always visit in person and ask the program about anything listed here.
License and ownershipActive license
- License type
- Assisted Living Program, dementia specific
- License number
- S0023
- License status
- Active
- Licensed capacity
- 65
- County
- Johnson County
- Executive Director
- Paige Horn
Source: Iowa state licensing records (agency listing), retrieved 2026-09-09. Licensing status is a matter of public record; it is not a quality rating.
Executive Director name from the operator's website, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Paying with Medicaid and other programsHow Medicaid pays for care in Iowa, and other programs
How Medicaid pays for care in Iowa
- Elderly (E) Waiver, Assisted Living Service. Iowa Medicaid's Elderly Waiver, for people 65 and older, lists "Assisted Living Service" among its services. Waiver slots can have waiting lists. (state page)
- Waitlist. Iowa HHS says there is currently no waitlist for the Elderly Waiver, and that this could change. (source)
Ask the community whether it accepts Medicaid.
Location and nearby careNearest hospital 2.3 mi, nursing home 0.3 mi, pharmacy 0.9 mi
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- University Of Iowa Health Care Medical Center Down, Iowa City. 2.3 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 4 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Iowa City Rehab & Health Care, Iowa City. 0.3 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Johnson County Visiting Nurse Association, Iowa City. 2.1 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Hy-Vee Pharmacy. 0.9 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 52245 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics Dialysis, Iowa City, 3.4 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
University Of Iowa Hospital & Clinics - North Liberty, North Liberty, 7.8 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 2 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 10 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 52245.
Iowa City Hospice, office in Iowa City, 2.1 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars)
Hospice Compassus - Northeast Iowa, office in Cedar Rapids, 20.3 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars)
Essence Of Life Hospice, office in Amana, 22.4 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Progressive Rehabilitation Associates LLC, Iowa City. 1.2 miles away, straight line. 1 geriatric medicine doctor listed there.
Distances are straight lines from the community, not driving distance. Hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors come from CMS provider data (CMS, hospital list updated Jul 22, 2026). Star ratings are CMS’s own.
Emergency and natural hazard riskFEMA overall risk relatively low; outside FEMA's high-risk flood areas
Public hazard maps for this location. Ask the community about its emergency plan, its generator and where residents would go in an evacuation.
- Flood zone
- Outside the high and moderate risk flood areas on FEMA's flood map (Zone X, minimal flood hazard, or not studied). (FEMA flood map)
- FEMA National Risk Index
- Overall: relatively low. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively low, wildfire very low, tornado very high, heat wave relatively moderate, earthquake very low. These are FEMA’s ratings for the census tract, compared with tracts nationwide. (FEMA, December 2025)
A flood zone describes the map at this point, not the building's elevation. In an emergency, follow the local emergency management agency.
Questions to ask on a tour10 questions picked for this community from its record
Picked for this community from its record. Ask them in person and write down the answers.
- The state recorded a finding in October 2025. What was it, and how was it fixed?
- What does the base rate include, and when did rates last go up?
- How many caregivers work in memory care during the day, the evening and overnight, and for how many residents?
- What dementia training does each caregiver get before working alone, and every year after?
- How do staff respond when a resident is agitated, frightened or tries to leave?
- How many caregivers are on duty during the day and at night?
- What happens if care needs increase? When would someone need to move?
- What fees are charged at move-in?
- How do you tell families about falls, illness or changes?
- How long have the executive director and the head of care been here?
What we checked12 public sources we searched, with dates
Every public source we searched for this community. “Nothing on record” means we found no record that matched it. A record can be missed when a name or address differs.
| Source | Data as of | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Health Facilities Division inspection records | Oct 16, 2026 | See above |
| U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour cases | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| OSHA workplace safety inspections since 2016 | Oct 15, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| FEMA flood map | See above | |
| USDA wildfire risk | Apr 15, 2026 | Not shown: FEMA rates wildfire risk here very low |
| FEMA National Risk Index | See above | |
| CMS hospitals, home health, dialysis, hospice and doctors; OpenStreetMap pharmacies | See above | |
| HUD Multifamily Properties - Assisted | Jul 6, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| State Veterans Homes (NASVH directory) | Sep 20, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Hospice - General Information | Aug 19, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| CMS Home Health Care Agencies | May 27, 2026 | Nothing on record |
| The community’s own website | Could not read the site |
Common questionsAnswers to 4 questions families ask
What type of care does Bickford Cottage Iowa City provide?
Bickford Cottage Iowa City is licensed by the state of Iowa for assisted living, memory care in Iowa City, Iowa. Its licensed capacity is 65 residents.
Does Lilisity rate Bickford Cottage Iowa City?
No. We publish state licensing details for Bickford Cottage Iowa City but no score, rating, or ranking. Only communities on the Top Communities list or with a Senior Living Alliance Excellence Award, both based on phone-verified resident and family interviews, are ranked.
How much does Bickford Cottage Iowa City cost?
Assisted Living in Iowa typically starts at $1,450 to $4,650 a month. Based on 33 communities that publish prices. These are area figures, not this community's price. Bickford Cottage Iowa City does not publish its prices.
How do I contact Bickford Cottage Iowa City?
Use Bickford Cottage Iowa City's website, bickfordseniorliving.com/branch/bickford-of-iowa-city, or visit at 3500 Lower W Branch Rd, Iowa City, IA 52245.
How Lilisity works. The only scores or rankings Lilisity publishes are the Top Communities list and the Excellence Awards, both built from phone-verified resident and family interviews. Communities can pay Lilisity a flat monthly fee to manage their own listing: photos, prices, contact details, and receiving the inquiries families choose to send them. The fee is the same no matter how many families contact them or move in. Senior Living Alliance, which runs Lilisity, offers the same listing to its member communities as part of their membership; members pay SLA for its resident and family interview program. No community pays Lilisity per inquiry, per referral or per move-in. Payment never changes a testimonial, a rating, or the order of search results. The "Nearby Senior Living Alliance communities" box shows member communities only. How we verify testimonials · How we are paid