Nursing home
Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care)
2104 12Th Street, Harlan, IA 51537 · Map
Non profit - Other · Part of American Baptist Homes Of The Midwest (6 facilities) · 50 certified beds
Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Harlan, Iowa. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 3/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.99 hours per resident per day, above the Iowa average of 3.83. Its most recent inspection on Jan 14, 2026 cited 4 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) compares
This facility vs. the Iowa and national averages, from CMS data. For staffing, higher is generally better; for turnover and deficiencies, lower is better.
| Metric | This facility | Iowa avg | National avg | Compared with the state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 3.99 | 3.83 | 3.89 | above avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.89 | 0.73 | 0.68 | above avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.69 | 2.53 | 2.34 | above avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 70.1% | 43.9% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 4.0 | 6.2 | 9.5 | below avg |
Staffing
Hours per resident per day as reported to CMS. Higher numbers indicate more direct care time.
Staff turnover
Lower turnover typically indicates better working conditions and continuity of care. National average for nursing staff is 46.4%.
Recent health inspection
CMS inspects nursing facilities regularly. Deficiencies are categorized by severity.
Penalties in CMS records: 1 total penalty, 1 Medicare payment denial.
What inspectors found at Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care)
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 14, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure each resident receives and the facility provides food prepared in a form designed to meet individual needs.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 14, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Jan 14, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Nov 13, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Actual harm
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Honor the resident's right to a dignified existence, self-determination, communication, and to exercise his or her rights.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate care for a resident to maintain and/or improve range of motion (ROM), limited ROM and/or mobility, unless a decline is for a medical reason.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Develop and implement a complete care plan that meets all the resident's needs, with timetables and actions that can be measured.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Assess the resident completely in a timely manner when first admitted, and then periodically, at least every 12 months.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Read the full inspection reports on Medicare.gov Each inspection there has a “Read the full report” link with the inspectors’ written findings.
About this facility
- Address
- 2104 12Th Street
Harlan, IA 51537 - CMS certification #
- 165372
- Ownership
- Non profit - Other
- Certified beds
- 50
- Avg residents/day
- 44.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1997-10-01
- Chain
- American Baptist Homes Of The Midwest (6 facilities)
- Setting
- Rural
Part of American Baptist Homes Of The Midwest
American Baptist Homes Of The Midwest operates 6 nursing facilities across the United States. View all American Baptist Homes Of The Midwest facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day, transportation, 3 meals a day
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
- Nurse on site: 24 hours a day.
Health Center Services: 24-hour skilled nursing care, dietary services, and advanced physical, occupational, and speech rehabilitation therapies.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Provides transportation.
Transportation through Elm Crest bus:
(page, checked Oct 15, 2026) - 3 meals a day.
Covers your private apartment home with a kitchenette, three meals per day, weekly housekeeping, personal laundry, all utility services, and round-the-clock nursing staff availability.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Apartment types named: studio, one-bedroom.
Under this plan, studio apartments start at $1,323 per month and one-bedrooms for $1,654 per month.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026) - Entrance fee: charged.
The Entrance Fee Plan (Refundable Buy-In)
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Myrtue Medical Center, Harlan. 0.1 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 3 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Avoca Specialty Care, Avoca. 10.3 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Myrtue Med Center Home Health, Harlan. 0.4 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Hy-Vee Pharmacy. 0.6 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 51537 as small town (small town core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Davita Harlan Dialysis, Harlan, 0.5 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
- Hospice
- 6 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 51537.
Myrtue Medical Center Hospice, office in Harlan, 0.4 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Unmc Physicians, Omaha. 43.1 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 risk
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 moderate. By hazard: inland flooding relatively low, wildfire relatively 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.
What we checked
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 relatively 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 | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) a good nursing home?
CMS gives Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 3/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) staffed?
Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) reports 3.99 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Iowa average of 3.83.
Has Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 4 deficiencies.
How many beds does Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) have?
Elm Crest Retirement Community (Independent Living and Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care) is certified for 50 beds.