Des Moines Senior AdvisorThis part of Des Moines runs from downtown and the East Village riverfront west through Sherman Hill, the Drake neighborhood, Waterbury, Roosevelt and Salisbury Oaks along Grand Avenue and Ingersoll, with River Bend and King-Irving to the north. UnityPoint Health Iowa Methodist, MercyOne Des Moines and Broadlawns Medical Center all sit within a short drive.
Families here usually want a parent close to the downtown specialists and the hospitals they already use. Licensed care mixes older nonprofit campuses on Grand and Polk Boulevard, high-rise assisted living, and nursing facilities near the hospitals, so the choice is often walkable, established neighborhoods against the newer suburban buildings.
How much licensed senior care is in Downtown, Drake & the West Side?
DIAL's roster shows 5 certified assisted living programs (380 units) and 4 nursing facilities (268 beds) with Des Moines addresses in Downtown, Drake & the West Side (ZIP codes 50309, 50311, 50312, 50314).
| Found in Downtown, Drake & the West Side | Not found in Downtown, Drake & the West Side | |
|---|---|---|
| Certified or licensed with a local address (DIAL) | Assisted living programs: 5, Residential care facilities: 2, Nursing facilities: 4, Adult day services: 1, Home health agencies: 2, Hospices: 1, Hospice houses: 1 | — |
| No local certificate or license on file | — | All categories present |
| Dementia-specific assisted living | 2 programs | — |
Which assisted living programs are certified in Downtown, Drake & the West Side?
DIAL's current roster lists 5 certified assisted living programs in Downtown, Drake & the West Side, 2 of them dementia-specific; Wesley on Grand Central AL is the largest at 126 units.
| Facility | Type | Units or beds | Last DIAL survey (approx.) | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley on Grand Central AL 3520 Grand Ave, 50312 | ALP | 126 | June 2025 | 0 |
| 3801 Grand 3801 Grand Ave, 50312 | ALP/D | 106 | October 2025 | 0 |
| Rose of Des Moines 1330 19th Street, 50314 | ALP | 104 | April 2025 | 0 |
| Arbor Heights at University 233 University Ave, 50314 | ALP | 25 | August 2024 | 0 |
| Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL 3520 Grand Ave., 50312 | ALP/D | 19 | March 2024 | 0 |
DIAL also licenses 3 residential care facilities here: Arlington House (serves adults with mental illness or disabilities), Scottish Rite Park-RCF, Wesley on Grand RCF. Residential care is a separate Iowa license for people who need help with daily living but not nursing care.
Which nursing homes are in Downtown, Drake & the West Side, and how does CMS rate them?
Downtown, Drake & the West Side has 4 licensed nursing facilities with 268 licensed beds; of the 4 that CMS rates, 4 hold four or five stars.
| Facility | CMS overall rating | Units or beds | Last CMS health inspection | Deficiencies cited | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center 900 Polk Boulevard, 50312 | 4 of 5 | 46 | April 2, 2026 | 5 | 1 |
| Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center 2909 Woodland Avenue, 50312 | 5 of 5 | 51 | August 13, 2026 | 2 | 2 |
| University Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center 233 University Avenue, 50314 | 4 of 5 | 91 | March 5, 2026 | 4 | 3 |
| Wesley on Grand 3520 Grand Avenue, 50312 | 4 of 5 | 80 | June 12, 2025 | 2 | 0 |
Which home health, hospice and adult day providers have offices in Downtown, Drake & the West Side?
DIAL's roster shows 2 home health agencies, 2 hospices and hospice houses and 1 adult day program at Downtown, Drake & the West Side addresses; agencies typically serve clients far beyond their office.
- Dahl Adult Day Services: adult day services program, license ADS106, capacity 30
- MercyOne Des Moines Home Care: home health agency
- Optimae Home Health Services-Central Iowa: home health agency
- MercyOne Hospice: hospice
- EveryStep Kavanagh House: inpatient hospice house, 15 beds
Have any Downtown, Drake & the West Side facilities been fined by the state?
Yes: DIAL's Assessed Fines Report lists state fines from visits ending January 2023 to November 2026 for 3 certified or licensed facilities in Downtown, Drake & the West Side.
- Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center: 1 fine, most recently after a visit ending April 18, 2024 ($0 issued)
- Scottish Rite Park Health Care Center: 2 fines, most recently after a visit ending May 6, 2026 ($7,750 issued)
- University Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: 3 fines, most recently after a visit ending January 30, 2025 ($500 issued)
Each facility page lists the amounts. A past fine is not proof of a present problem; ask what changed.
How close is Downtown, Drake & the West Side to a hospital?
From the middle of the area, the nearest general hospitals on DIAL's roster are Broadlawns Medical Center (about 1.4 miles) and MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center (about 1.4 miles).
UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Center is about 1.6 miles away. All are straight-line distances between ZIP code centers, good for comparing places but not for estimating drive times.
