Nursing home
Northgate Care Center
960 4Th Street Nw, Waukon, IA 52172 · Map
For profit - Corporation · Part of Legacy Healthcare (90 facilities) · 50 certified beds
Northgate Care Center is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Waukon, Iowa. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (3/5 for staffing, 3/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 2.80 hours per resident per day, below the Iowa average of 3.83. Its most recent inspection on Feb 20, 2025 cited 8 deficiencies.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Northgate Care 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) | 2.80 | 3.83 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.37 | 0.73 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 1.92 | 2.53 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 23.5% | 43.9% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 8.0 | 6.2 | 9.5 | above 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 March 4, 2026 inspection was corrected by April 2, 2026
What inspectors found at Northgate Care Center
Specific deficiencies cited in recent CMS health inspections, most recent first. Severity follows the CMS scope/severity scale. Source: CMS Care Compare.
- Immediate jeopardy
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with currently accepted professional principles; and all drugs and biologicals must be stored in locked compartments, separately locked, compartments for controlled drugs.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
Administration Deficiencies · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Mar 4, 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 · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 12 deficiencies
- 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 · Mar 4, 2026 · 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 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure each resident receives an accurate assessment.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Prevent the use of unnecessary psychotropic medications or use medications that may restrain a resident's ability to function.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Ensure that residents are fully informed and understand their health status, care and treatments.
Resident Rights Deficiencies · Mar 4, 2026 · Full report (PDF) - Actual harm
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Nov 14, 2025 · 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
- 960 4Th Street Nw
Waukon, IA 52172 - CMS certification #
- 165338
- Ownership
- For profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 50
- Avg residents/day
- 40.9
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1997-08-01
- Chain
- Legacy Healthcare (90 facilities)
- Setting
- Rural
Part of Legacy Healthcare
Legacy Healthcare operates 90 nursing facilities across the United States. View all Legacy Healthcare facilities →
Not SLA enrolled. This facility hasn’t enrolled in resident survey verification. Learn about enrollment →
Location and nearby
Explore the area around Northgate Care Center using Google Maps.
Other public records
Full public records, with dates and sources
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Veterans Memorial Hospital, Waukon. 0.9 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Good Samaritan Society - Waukon, Waukon. 0.8 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- V M H Comunity & Home Care, Waukon. 0.8 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Walgreens. 23.2 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 52172 as rural (rural area).
- Dialysis within 15 miles
- Mayo Clinic Hosp-Dyls, Decorah, 14.7 miles away, straight line (CMS rating 3 of 5 stars)
- Hospice
- 4 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 52172.
Winnmed Hospice, office in Decorah, 14.7 miles away, straight line (CMS family survey rating 5 of 5 stars) - Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Gundersen Clinic Ltd, Viroqua. 35.1 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: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively moderate, wildfire very 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 | 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 |
Looking for assisted living or memory care instead?
Frequently asked questions
Is Northgate Care Center a good nursing home?
CMS gives Northgate Care Center an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars, including 3/5 for staffing and 3/5 for health inspections. These ratings come from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and are updated monthly.
How is Northgate Care Center staffed?
Northgate Care Center reports 2.80 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Iowa average of 3.83.
Has Northgate Care Center had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 8 deficiencies.
How many beds does Northgate Care Center have?
Northgate Care Center is certified for 50 beds.