Nursing home
Southern Hills Specialty Care
444 North West View Drive, Osceola, IA 50213 · Map
Non profit - Corporation · Part of Care Initiatives (43 facilities) · 90 certified beds
Southern Hills Specialty Care is a Medicare-certified nursing home in Osceola, Iowa. CMS rates it 3 out of 5 stars overall (4/5 for staffing, 3/5 for health inspections). Nurse staffing is 3.42 hours per resident per day, below the Iowa average of 3.83. Its most recent inspection on Aug 21, 2025 cited 6 deficiencies.
- 1 fine totaling $36,865In CMS records: 1 total penalty.
CMS quality ratings
Ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), updated monthly. 5 stars is the highest quality.
How Southern Hills 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) | 3.42 | 3.83 | 3.89 | below avg |
| RN staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 0.66 | 0.73 | 0.68 | below avg |
| Aide staffing (hrs/resident/day) | 2.21 | 2.53 | 2.34 | below avg |
| Nursing staff turnover | 31.3% | 43.9% | 46.4% | below avg |
| Deficiencies cited, last inspection | 6.0 | 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 August 21, 2025 inspection was corrected by August 25, 2025
Penalties in CMS records: 1 fine totaling $36,865, 1 total penalty.
What inspectors found at Southern Hills 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
Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
Administration Deficiencies · Aug 21, 2025 · 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 · Aug 21, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Protect each resident from all types of abuse such as physical, mental, sexual abuse, physical punishment, and neglect by anybody.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Aug 21, 2025 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
Infection Control Deficiencies · Aug 21, 2025 · 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 · Aug 21, 2025 · Full report (PDF)
Show all 8 deficiencies
- Minimal
Make sure there is a pest control program to prevent/deal with mice, insects, or other pests.
Environmental Deficiencies · Apr 10, 2025 · 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 · Sep 12, 2024 · Full report (PDF) - Potential for harm
Respond appropriately to all alleged violations.
Freedom from Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation Deficiencies · Dec 12, 2023 · 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
- 444 North West View Drive
Osceola, IA 50213 - CMS certification #
- 165293
- Ownership
- Non profit - Corporation
- Certified beds
- 90
- Avg residents/day
- 85.8
- Provider type
- Medicare and Medicaid
- First certified
- 1996-08-09
- 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 Southern Hills Specialty Care using Google Maps.
Other public records
- Website says Works with hospice
Full public records, with dates and sources
Care and services
From the community’s website
What Southern Hills 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)
Location and nearby care
- Nearest hospital with an emergency room
- Clarke County Hospital, Osceola. 0.7 miles away, straight line. CMS overall hospital rating: 5 of 5 stars.
- Nearest Medicare nursing home
- Westview Acres Care Center, Leon. 20.5 miles away, straight line.
- Nearest home health agency office
- Elara Caring, Chariton. 24.0 miles away, straight line. Agencies travel to clients, so ask which ones serve this address.
- Nearest pharmacy
- Montrose Pharmacy. 17.5 miles away, straight line. From OpenStreetMap, which does not list every pharmacy, so one may be closer.
- Area
- USDA classes ZIP code 50213 as small town (small town core).
- Hospice
- 6 Medicare hospices tell CMS they serve ZIP code 50213.
- Nearest geriatric medicine practice
- Ch Specialty Services Ia PC, Osceola. 1.2 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: relatively high. By hazard: hurricane very low, inland flooding relatively moderate, wildfire relatively low, tornado very high, heat wave relatively high, 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 |
Looking for assisted living or memory care instead?
Frequently asked questions
Is Southern Hills Specialty Care a good nursing home?
CMS gives Southern Hills Specialty 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 Southern Hills Specialty Care staffed?
Southern Hills Specialty Care reports 3.42 total nurse hours per resident per day, compared with the Iowa average of 3.83.
Has Southern Hills Specialty Care had inspection problems?
Its most recent CMS inspection cited 6 deficiencies.
How many beds does Southern Hills Specialty Care have?
Southern Hills Specialty Care is certified for 90 beds.