Des Moines Senior AdvisorThe south side covers the 50315, 50320 and 50321 ZIP codes south of the Raccoon River: Fort Des Moines, Southridge, Easter Lake, Bloomfield and Allen, McKinley and the areas around Des Moines International Airport and the SE 14th Street and Fleur Drive corridors.
Licensed care here includes a large senior living campus near Southridge, assisted living off SE 14th, and several nursing and rehabilitation centers. Families on the south side often weigh these against Norwalk and Indianola in Warren County, a short drive farther south.
How much licensed senior care is in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area?
DIAL's roster shows 3 certified assisted living programs (228 units) and 2 nursing facilities (169 beds) with Des Moines addresses in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area (ZIP codes 50315, 50320, 50321).
| Found in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area | Not found in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area | |
|---|---|---|
| Certified or licensed with a local address (DIAL) | Assisted living programs: 3, Nursing facilities: 2 | — |
| No local certificate or license on file | — | Residential care facilities, Adult day services, Home health agencies, Hospices, Hospice houses |
| Dementia-specific assisted living | 2 programs | — |
Which assisted living programs are certified in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area?
DIAL's current roster lists 3 certified assisted living programs in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area, 2 of them dementia-specific; Addington Place of Des Moines is the largest at 94 units.
| Facility | Type | Units or beds | Last DIAL survey (approx.) | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addington Place of Des Moines 5815 SE 27th Street, 50320 | ALP | 94 | July 2024 | 1 |
| StoryPoint Riverwoods 2210 East Park Avenue, 50320 | ALP/D | 80 | July 2026 | 1 |
| Addington Place of Des Moines Memory Care 5815 SE 27th Street, 50320 | ALP/D | 54 | July 2024 | 1 |
DIAL also licenses 1 residential care facility here: McKinley House - RCF (serves adults with mental illness or disabilities). Residential care is a separate Iowa license for people who need help with daily living but not nursing care.
Which nursing homes are in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area, and how does CMS rate them?
The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area has 2 licensed nursing facilities with 169 licensed beds; of the 2 that CMS rates, 0 hold four or five stars.
| Facility | CMS overall rating | Units or beds | Last CMS health inspection | Deficiencies cited | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accura HealthCare of South Des Moines 4911 SW 19th Street, 50315 | 1 of 5 | 89 | July 24, 2025 | 3 | 8 |
| Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation 5608 SW Ninth Street, 50315 | 1 of 5 | 80 | June 10, 2025 | 28 | 12 |
Have any The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area facilities been fined by the state?
Yes: DIAL's Assessed Fines Report lists state fines from visits ending January 2023 to November 2026 for 5 certified or licensed facilities in The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area.
- Addington Place of Des Moines: 1 fine, most recently after a visit ending August 7, 2024 ($500 issued)
- Addington Place of Des Moines Memory Care: 1 fine, most recently after a visit ending March 26, 2026 ($3,000 issued)
- StoryPoint Riverwoods: 1 fine, most recently after a visit ending July 23, 2026 ($2,500 issued)
- Accura HealthCare of South Des Moines: 8 fines, most recently after a visit ending February 17, 2025 ($500 issued)
- Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation: 12 fines, most recently after a visit ending July 22, 2026 ($7,000 issued)
Each facility page lists the amounts. A past fine is not proof of a present problem; ask what changed.
How close is The South Side, Southridge & the Airport Area to a hospital?
From the middle of the area, the nearest general hospitals on DIAL's roster are UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Iowa Methodist Medical Center (about 3.3 miles) and Broadlawns Medical Center (about 4.7 miles).
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center is about 4.7 miles away. All are straight-line distances between ZIP code centers, good for comparing places but not for estimating drive times.
