Northern Mahaska Specialty Care
2401 Crestview Drive, Oskaloosa, IA 52577 · Mahaska County · 79 certified beds · avg 76 residents/day · certified since Apr 5, 1996
Part of chain: CARE INITIATIVES (43 facilities, chain avg rating 2.9★)
What health inspectors found (on-site government inspections — the most independent evidence available)
Health inspection rating: ★★☆☆☆2/5 · CMS overall rating: 2/5
The health inspection star above is graded on a curve within each state — a set share of each state's facilities gets each star level — so a facility can have few citations and still rate 2–3 stars if others in its state did even better. The overall rating combines that inspection score with staffing and self-reported quality measures.
Most serious findings (actual harm or immediate jeopardy)
▲ Immediate jeopardy, one-off · Jul 6, 2024 · F-0689 · triggered by a complaint
The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls.
Why it matters: This is one of the most common citations and directly relates to falls and injuries, which can be devastating for older adults.
Severity (J): Inspectors found a situation that put a resident's life or safety in immediate danger, affecting one or a few residents. The facility must fix it immediately — these citations often come with large fines.
Corrected: Jul 7, 2024 (Deficient, Provider has date of correction)
All citations in the current public record (10)
CMS publishes roughly the last three inspection cycles plus recent complaint investigations. Older surveys drop out of the record as new ones are completed.
| Date | Severity | What the facility was cited for |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 24, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility's menus did not meet residents' nutritional needs, or were not prepared in advance, followed as written, kept up to date, or reviewed by a dietician. |
| Nov 24, 2025 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have or follow an effective program to prevent and control infections — such as proper hand washing, cleaning, and isolation practices. This is the most commonly cited deficiency nationwide. |
| Nov 24, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not develop or follow a complete care plan for each resident — the written roadmap covering all of a resident's needs, with measurable goals and timelines. |
| Nov 24, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not make sure its nurses and nurse aides had the skills and training needed to properly care for every resident. |
| Feb 26, 2025 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not report suspected abuse, neglect, or theft to the proper authorities quickly enough, or did not report the results of its investigation. · from a complaint |
| Jul 6, 2024 | ▲ J · Immediate jeopardy, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
| Dec 21, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment, including safe support for residents' daily living needs. · from a complaint |
| Aug 30, 2023 | E · Potential for harm, repeated | The facility did not have enough nursing staff each day to meet every resident's needs, or did not have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. Adequate staffing is one of the strongest predictors of good care. |
| Aug 30, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not treat residents with dignity and respect, or did not honor their rights to make their own decisions and communicate freely. This is one of the most fundamental resident rights. |
| Aug 30, 2023 | D · Potential for harm, one-off | The facility did not keep the environment free of accident hazards, or did not provide enough supervision to prevent accidents like falls. · from a complaint |
Inspection trend by year
| Year | Citations | Serious (G–L) | Worst severity that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | E |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | J ▲ |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | E |
Counts reflect the current CMS public record (~3 inspection cycles plus complaint investigations); years with no surveys show no row. Inspection frequency varies, so compare severity as well as counts.
Fines and enforcement (last 3 years)
1 fine totaling $39,033.
| Date | Type | Amount / length |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2024 | Fine | $39,033 |
Nurse staffing (from payroll records, adjusted for how much care residents need)
| Measure | This facility | Iowa avg | U.S. avg | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total nurse staffing (hours per resident per day) | 3.77 | 4.37 | 3.95 | bottom 22% in Iowa; top 50% in the U.S. |
| Registered Nurse hours | 0.65 | 0.85 | 0.69 | bottom 29% in Iowa; top 41% in the U.S. |
| Weekend total nurse staffing | 3.28 | 3.86 | 3.50 | bottom 21% in Iowa; bottom 46% in the U.S. |
| Weekend RN hours (not acuity-adjusted) | 0.29 | 0.51 | 0.48 | bottom 14% in Iowa; bottom 30% in the U.S. |
| Total nursing staff turnover (%) | 31.3 | 44.0 | 45.8 | top 20% in Iowa; top 17% in the U.S. |
| RN turnover (%) | 20.0 | 42.1 | 42.9 | top 18% in Iowa; top 13% in the U.S. |
Hours are per resident per day, case-mix adjusted by CMS so facilities caring for sicker residents can be compared fairly (same basis as the CMS staffing star). "Top X%" means better than most facilities: more staffing hours, or lower turnover. Raw (unadjusted) reported hours: total 3.20, RN 0.56, weekend 2.78. Staffing rating: 4/5.
Self-reported quality measures
Note: these ratings are based on data the facility reports about itself to CMS. They are not independently verified by inspectors, and can look better than inspection findings. Give more weight to the inspection results above.
Quality measures rating: 3/5 · long-stay residents: 4/5 · short-stay residents: 2/5
Who owns this facility
Non profit - Corporation
| Owner / manager | Type | Role | Stake | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care Initiatives | Organization | 5% or Greater Direct Ownership Interest | 100% | 03/01/2014 |
| Beal, Michael | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2020 |
| Beal, Michael | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2020 |
| Bowen, Lane | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2021 |
| Carothers, Mary Jane | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Childs, Kevin | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/01/2023 |
| Computershare Corporate Trust Company, Na | Organization | 5% or Greater Mortgage Interest | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/01/2025 |
| Computershare Corporate Trust Company, Na | Organization | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/15/2025 |
| Corless, Peter | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2025 |
| Dixon, David | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/01/2016 |
| Drake, Emily | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/04/2023 |
| Gilyard, Tanya | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 05/23/2025 |
| Krein, Keith | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/29/2022 |
| Kuhn, Jeramy | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 06/25/2008 |
| Lewis, Kaitlyn | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 03/02/2023 |
| Lewis, Kaitlyn | Individual | ADP of the SNF | NOT APPLICABLE | 04/15/2025 |
| Mahler, Carla | Individual | Operational/Managerial Control | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2024 |
| McDyer, Jessica | Individual | Corporate Officer | NOT APPLICABLE | 02/22/2023 |
| Rust, Elizabeth | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2023 |
| Sturm, Denise | Individual | Corporate Director | NOT APPLICABLE | 01/01/2021 |
Questions to ask on your visit
Generated from this facility's actual citation record — bring them to a tour and ask the administrator directly.
- "What is your falls rate, and what specific steps do you take to prevent falls and supervise residents at risk?"
- "Who reviews your menus, and can I see this week's menu and join my family member for a meal?"
- "Who leads your infection prevention program, and how do you make sure staff follow practices like hand hygiene every day?"
- "Can you show me an example care plan, and how are families included when it's created and updated?"
- "How do you verify that your nurses and aides have the skills to care for residents with needs like my family member's?"
- "When abuse or theft is suspected, who do you notify, how fast, and how do you inform the family?"
- "Can we tour the resident rooms, bathrooms, and common areas today, including areas not on the usual tour route?"
- "What is your nurse and aide staffing ratio on each shift, including nights and weekends?"
- "What is your current ratio of nursing staff to residents on day, evening, and weekend shifts?"
- "Can I see the results and plan of correction from your most recent state inspection?"
Nearby facilities (within 20 miles)
| Facility | Distance | City | Overall | Inspection | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskaloosa Care Center | 1.6 mi | Oskaloosa, IA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Crystal Heights Care Center | 1.6 mi | Oskaloosa, IA | ★★☆☆☆ | 2/5 | |
| The Cottages | 16.0 mi | Pella, IA | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1/5 | |
| Montezuma Specialty Care | 19.4 mi | Montezuma, IA | ★★★☆☆ | 3/5 |
Compare this facility with the 3 closest →
Facility data as of CMS processing date 2026-08-01. CCN 165274.