Nursing home · Top rated by CMS
Lyon Specialty Care
1010 South Union, Rock Rapids, IA 51246 · Map
Non profit - Corporation · Part of Care Initiatives (43 facilities) · 45 certified beds
Lyon Specialty Care is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Rock Rapids, Iowa. CMS rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 5/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.02 hours per resident per day, below the Iowa average of 3.83. Its most recent inspection on Jun 19, 2025 cited 0 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Lyon Specialty 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) | 3.02 | 3.83 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.48 | 0.73 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.05 | 2.53 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 34.5% | 43.9% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 0.0 | 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.
- Every deficiency from the February 2, 2026 inspection was corrected by February 27, 2026
What inspectors found at Lyon Specialty 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
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Feb 2, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Timely report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft and report the results of the investigation to proper authorities.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Feb 2, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Safeguard resident-identifiable information and/or maintain medical records on each resident that are in accordance with accepted professional standards.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Feb 2, 2026 · 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 · Jul 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Jul 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- 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 · Jul 25, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Notify the resident or the resident’s representative in writing how long the nursing home will hold the resident’s bed in cases of transfer to a hospital or therapeutic leave.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Jul 25, 2024 · 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 5, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · May 24, 2023 - 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 · May 24, 2023 - Potential for harm
Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Nursing and Physician Services Deficiencies · May 24, 2023 - Potential for harm
Implement gradual dose reductions(GDR) and non-pharmacological interventions, unless contraindicated, prior to initiating or instead of continuing psychotropic medication; and PRN orders for psychotropic medications are only used when the medication is necessary and PRN use is limited.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · May 24, 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
- 1010 South Union
Rock Rapids, IA 51246 - CMS certification #
- 165215
- Ownership
- Non profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 45
- Avg residents/day
- 37.2
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1994-04-18
- Chain
- Care Initiatives (43 facilities)
- Setting
- Rural
Part of Care Initiatives
Care Initiatives operates 43 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Care Initiatives facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Lyon Specialty Care using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Works with hospice
- Workplace safety 1 OSHA workplace safety inspection since 2019, 1 violation cited
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Lyon Specialty 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.
- Offers hospice care on site or works with hospice providers.
Care Initiatives is Iowa’s largest nonprofit provider of high-quality skilled nursing care, hospice care, assisted living, independent living, memory care and more.
(page, checked Oct 12, 2026)
Staff pay and workplace safety
Federal records about how the employer here treats its staff.
OSHA workplace safety inspections
OSHA inspects workplaces for staff safety, such as lifting, needles, chemicals and workplace violence. It does not inspect resident care.
- Feb 13, 2019: referral inspection, partial (health). Case closed Mar 20, 2019. 1 violation cited (1 other). Penalties: $933 proposed, $933 now. OSHA record. OSHA recorded the employer as Lyon Specialty Care.
Details
- Other than serious: Reporting a death, hospitalization, amputation or eye loss to OSHA (1904.39(a)(2)). Penalty $933 proposed, $933 now.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA enforcement data, as of Oct 15, 2026, inspections since 2016. Penalties can change while a case is open or contested.
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Avera Merrill Pioneer Hospital, Rock Rapids. 0.8 miles away, straight line. Location approximate.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Good Samaritan Society - George, George. 10.3 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Hegg Home Health Care, Rock Valley. 16.1 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Family Drug. 0.8 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 51246 as rural (rural area).
- Hospice
- 6 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 51246.
Sanford Home Health And Hospice Sheldon, office in Sheldon, 23.2 miles away, straight line
Sioux Center Health Home Care And Hospice, office in Sioux Center, 24.8 miles away, straight line - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Hutchinson Health, Hutchinson. 134.5 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 high, wildfire relatively low, tornado relatively 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 | See above |
| 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 Lyon Specialty Care a good nursing home?
CMS gives Lyon Specialty Care an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars, including 4/5 for staffing and 5/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Lyon Specialty Care staffed?
Lyon Specialty Care reports 3.02 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Iowa average of 3.83.
Has Lyon Specialty Care had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 0 deficiencies.
How many beds does Lyon Specialty Care have?
Lyon Specialty Care is certified for 45 beds.