Nursing home
Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center
900 Polk Boulevard, Des Moines, IA 50312 · Map
Non profit - Other · 46 certified beds
Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Des Moines, Iowa. CMS rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 4/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.83 hours per resident per day, above the Iowa average of 3.83. Its most recent inspection on Mar 13, 2025 cited 5 deficiencies.
- 10 fines totaling $56,807In CMS records: 10 total penalties.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center 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) | 3.83 | 3.83 | 3.89 | above avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.89 | 0.73 | 0.68 | above avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.50 | 2.53 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 61.7% | 43.9% | 46.4% | above avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 5.0 | 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: 10 fines totaling $56,807, 10 total penalties.
What inspectors found at Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center
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 · Mar 13, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Mar 13, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Mar 13, 2025 · 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 · Mar 13, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Minimal
Provide timely notification to the resident, and if applicable to the resident representative and ombudsman, before transfer or discharge, including appeal rights.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Mar 13, 2025 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 10 deficiencies
- Potential for harm
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Apr 18, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Apr 18, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Apr 18, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure menus must meet the nutritional needs of residents, be prepared in advance, be followed, be updated, be reviewed by dietician, and meet the needs of the resident.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies · Feb 9, 2023 - Potential for harm
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Feb 9, 2023
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
- 900 Polk Boulevard
Des Moines, IA 50312 - CMS certification #
- 165006
- Ownership
- Non profit - Other
- Certified beds
- 46
- Avg residents/day
- 43.5
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1967-01-01
- Setting
- Urban
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Nurse 24 hours a day
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center says about itself, quoted from its own site. We have not checked these claims against licensing records. Ask about each one on a tour.
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Unitypoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medi, Des Moines. 2.6 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 3 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Wesley on Grand, Des Moines. 1.1 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Angels Care Home Health Of Iowa, Des Moines. 2.7 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Hy-Vee Drugstore. 0.6 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 50312 as metropolitan (metropolitan core).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Davita Windsor Heights Dialysis, Windsor Heights, 1.9 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Davita Central Des Moines Dialysis, Des Moines, 2.5 miles away, straight line (has a shift starting after 5 pm; CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
Davita Riverpoint Dialysis Unit, Des Moines, 3.2 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 4 of 5 stars) - Hospice
- 11 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 50312.
Mercyone Des Moines Hospice, office in Des Moines, 3.2 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 3 of 5 stars)
Hospice Of The Midwest, LLC, office in Johnston, 5.4 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars)
Unitypoint Hospice, office in Urbandale, 5.7 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 4 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Ch Specialty Services Ia PC, Osceola. 38.8 miles away, straight line. 2 geriatric medicine doctors 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: very low. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding very low, wildfire very low, tornado relatively moderate, heat wave relatively low, 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 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 | See above |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center an overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 4/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center staffed?
Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center reports 3.83 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Iowa average of 3.83.
Has Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 5 deficiencies.
How many beds does Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center have?
Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center is certified for 46 beds.