Heritage Specialty Care
Below-average Medicare ratings — review the inspection history and ask the administrator about recent corrections before visiting.
based on 59 Google reviews
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Quality Concerns Identified
Medicare inspection and quality data reveal areas that families should carefully evaluate before choosing this facility.
- Low overall rating (1/5 stars)
- Above-median deficiencies (16 vs median 5)
- High RN turnover (59%)
Bottom 25% in IA · Below recommended RN staffing · Worst in CARE INITIATIVES chain · $43,680 in fines
What this means for your family
This facility has received numerous, consistent reports of severe neglect and medical mismanagement, making it a high-risk choice. While some families have had success with short-term rehab, the recurring patterns of unresponsiveness and poor nutritional care suggest that families should look elsewhere for long-term or memory care needs.
Google Reviews
Google Reviews
59 reviews on Google“Heritage Specialty Care faces severe and recurring criticism regarding resident neglect, poor communication, and inadequate staffing. While a small subset of reviewers reports positive experiences with specific staff members or short-term rehab therapy, the overwhelming majority of recent feedback highlights dangerous lapses in medical care, hygiene, and basic responsiveness.”
Quality Themes
Tap a score for detailsStrengths
- Effective short-term physical and occupational therapy
- Select dedicated and compassionate individual staff members
- Smooth initial admission process for some families
Concerns
- Inadequate staffing and slow response times to call lights (mentioned by 6 reviewers)
- Poor nutritional care, including inappropriate diets and food shortages (mentioned by 5 reviewers)
- Unprofessional, rude, or dismissive staff behavior (mentioned by 6 reviewers)
- Lack of communication and difficulty reaching administration (mentioned by 4 reviewers)
- Poor hygiene and cleanliness of facility and resident rooms (mentioned by 3 reviewers)
Rating Trends
Tap a year to see what changed
Distribution · 60 analyzed
How They Respond to Reviews
This facility responds to some reviews.
Questions for Your Tour
- 1I noticed that staffing levels are rated highly by CMS, but some families have expressed concerns about call light response times; could you walk me through your current process for ensuring residents get timely assistance?
- 2Given that nutrition and dietary needs are so important, how do you handle specific meal requests or ensure that residents are receiving the correct, high-quality diets prescribed by their doctors?
- 3I see that the facility has had some recent state violations regarding cleanliness; what specific protocols do you have in place to ensure resident rooms and common areas are kept to a high standard of hygiene?
- 4Communication is a priority for our family; what is the most reliable way to reach the administration team if we have questions or need an update on our loved one's care?
- 5I appreciate that the facility responds to online feedback; how do you use that input to improve the daily experience and professional interactions between staff and residents?
- 6Since therapy services are a noted strength here, how do you integrate those physical and occupational therapy goals into the resident's daily routine and activities?
Personalized based on this facility's data
Key Review Excerpts
“They sent my husband who was in a locked unit to the hospital (one he had never been to before) unaccompanied, in a transport van, driver stopped at ER entrance and told my husband to get out and go in and check in. They sent no medical info with him!”
“She’s a diabetic and all of the food that they fed her was full of carbs and sugar, and they wouldn’t give her meal time insulin to her, they would only give her, the long acting insulin.why? Because they couldn’t watch her to make sure her blood sugar didn’t drop.”
“I saw men and women who could not feed themselves not being fed and staff eating their food.”
Staffing
Staffing Hours
per resident/day · Medicare 2026Both RN and total nursing hours are below national benchmarks. This can mean less clinical attention per resident, so ask about their staffing plan.
Quality Measures
Quality Measures
Resident outcomes compared with national, state, and local averages · 17 measures
5
measures
8
measures
4
measures
Residents vaccinated for the flu
Residents on antipsychotic medication
Residents whose walking got worse
Residents whose bladder or bowel control got worse
Residents vaccinated for pneumonia
Residents on anti-anxiety or sleep medication
Short-stay residents vaccinated for pneumonia
Short-stay residents vaccinated for the flu
Short-stay residents newly given antipsychotics
US average from Medicare published data
Inspection History
Medicare Inspection History
3-year lookback · Medicare 2026
Families have filed numerous complaints triggering over half of the 65 deficiencies, raising serious concerns about this facility's quality of care. The most recurring problems involve safety hazards and accident prevention, care quality standards, and medication management—including one recent medication error issue that remains uncorrected. While most violations have been addressed, the persistent pattern of safety and care quality issues across multiple surveys suggests ongoing systemic problems that families should carefully consider.
Mar 2, 2026Complaint3
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies
Ensure food and drink is palatable, attractive, and at a safe and appetizing temperature.
Nov 6, 2025Complaint1
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Aug 26, 2025Complaint5
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Reasonably accommodate the needs and preferences of each resident.
Resident Rights Deficiencies
Honor the resident's right to a safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment, including but not limited to receiving treatment and supports for daily living safely.
Administration Deficiencies
Have a plan that describes the process for conducting QAPI and QAA activities.
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide care and assistance to perform activities of daily living for any resident who is unable.
Jun 12, 2025Complaint3
Resident Assessment and Care Planning Deficiencies
Ensure services provided by the nursing facility meet professional standards of quality.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Pharmacy Service Deficiencies
Ensure that residents are free from significant medication errors.
May 22, 2025Routine6
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies
Procure food from sources approved or considered satisfactory and store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards.
Smoke Deficiencies
Properly select, install, inspect, or maintain portable fire extinguishes.
Gas, Vacuum, and Electrical Systems Deficiencies
Ensure proper usage of power strips and extension cords.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for a resident when needed.
Nutrition and Dietary Deficiencies
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.
Infection Control Deficiencies
Develop and implement policies and procedures for flu and pneumonia vaccinations.
Mar 5, 2025Complaint3
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide appropriate treatment and care according to orders, resident’s preferences and goals.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Ensure that a nursing home area is free from accident hazards and provides adequate supervision to prevent accidents.
Quality of Life and Care Deficiencies
Provide safe, appropriate pain management for a resident who requires such services.
Federal Penalties
Fine
Nov 6, 2025
$14,365
State Inspection History
State Inspections
Source: Iowa Dept. of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing
Jun 25, 2026InspectionClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
May 28, 2026InspectionClean
Fed violations: 6, State violations: 0
Apr 1, 2026ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Mar 2, 2026ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 3, State violations: 0
Dec 2, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Nov 6, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 1, State violations: 1
Oct 7, 2025ComplaintClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Oct 7, 2025OtherClean
Fed violations: 0, State violations: 0
Ownership & Operations
Who Operates This Facility
Heritage Specialty Care
nonprofit
Chain Affiliation
Care Initiatives
43 facilities nationwide
Chain avg rating: 3.0/5 · Rank 40 of 43 (Worst)
Ownership & Management
Owners
Care Initiatives
Owner · Organization
Key personnel
Contact
Get in Touch
Contact this facility directly and verify the details that matter most to your family.
References & Resources
Medicare Care Compare
Official Medicare quality ratings, inspections & staffing data
Google Maps
Photos, directions & neighborhood info
Google Reviews
59 reviews from families & visitors
Official Website
Visit careinitiatives.org
Medicare data downloads
Original nursing home datasets
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