Des Moines Senior AdvisorArbor Heights at University, at 233 University Ave in Des Moines (Polk County), is a certified assisted living program (ALP) certified by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing under certificate S0072, with a maximum occupancy of 25 units and a certificate current through March 29, 2028.
How large is Arbor Heights at University, and is its Iowa certificate current?
DIAL's Entity Report lists Arbor Heights at University under certificate S0072 with 25 units and an expiration date of March 29, 2028, smaller than the metro midpoint of 88 for ALP certificates.
| Field | From DIAL's records |
|---|---|
| DIAL certificate number | S0072 |
| Program type | Assisted living program (ALP) |
| First certified | March 31, 2000 |
| Current two-year certificate | March 30, 2026 through March 29, 2028 |
| Maximum occupancy | 25 units |
| Voluntary national accreditation | No; DIAL monitors it directly |
| Administrator on the DIAL record | Stacy Soderstrum |
| State fines with exit dates since January 2023 | 0 |
| Months since DIAL's last survey or monitoring | 26.4 (next due September 4, 2026) |
| Phone on the DIAL record | (515) 284-1280 |
Certification in Iowa is tied to one program at one location for two years; the present term opened March 30, 2026. A new owner must notify DIAL before the certificate can transfer, and DIAL may visit within 90 days of a change of ownership.
DIAL dates the first certification to March 31, 2000, about 27 years ago, which places it 8 of 77 by age among the metro's certificates.
Does Arbor Heights at University have a memory care certificate?
Arbor Heights at University holds a general assisted living certificate rather than a dementia-specific one, so it may serve tenants with mild cognitive impairment but must transfer anyone whose needs exceed its disclosed criteria or Iowa's retention limits.
Iowa's rules do not bar a general program from serving people with dementia; a program becomes dementia-specific by definition once enough tenants are at GDS stages 4 to 7 during two sequential monitorings, and then must meet the ALP/D rules. The closest dementia-specific programs are Claremont's Ramsey Village (1.8 mi), Gardens at Luther Park (2.0 mi), Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL (2.5 mi).
Has Iowa fined Arbor Heights at University?
We found no state fine for Arbor Heights at University in DIAL's Assessed Fines Report covering visits that ended from January 2023 to November 2026.
A clean fines record means no penalty-level findings in that window. Ordinary regulatory insufficiencies are fixed through a written plan of correction that the fines report never shows.
Is Arbor Heights at University due for a state monitoring visit?
About 26 months had passed since DIAL's most recent visit to Arbor Heights at University (roughly August 2024) according to the state's Survey Due Report, and the report shows the next visit due by September 4, 2026.
Iowa rules require DIAL to monitor every certified program at least once in each 24-month period (481 IAC 67.10), plus complaint and incident investigations in between. Ask the program for the final report from that visit.
If Arbor Heights at University has no opening, where else should we look?
The nearest other certified program is Rose of Des Moines in Des Moines, about 1.1 miles away as the crow flies, with 104 units and a general certificate.
| Facility | Miles away | Type | Units or beds | State fines since 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rose of Des Moines 1330 19th Street, 50314 | 1.1 | ALP | 104 | 0 |
| Rose of East Des Moines 1331 Idaho Street, 50316 | 1.2 | ALP | 128 | 0 |
| Claremont's Ramsey Village 1611 27th St, 50310 | 1.8 | ALP/D | 10 | 0 |
| Gardens at Luther Park 2910 E. 16th Street, 50316 | 2.0 | ALP/D | 120 | 2 |
| Wesley Acres John's Harbor Memory Support AL 3520 Grand Ave., 50312 | 2.5 | ALP/D | 19 | 0 |
How far is Arbor Heights at University from a hospital?
Arbor Heights at University is in the Downtown, Drake & the West Side part of Des Moines, and Broadlawns Medical Center is the closest general hospital on DIAL's roster, about 0.6 miles away by straight line.
MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center is next, roughly 0.6 miles away. Distances are straight-line measurements between mapped points, not driving times.
If nursing care becomes necessary, the two nearest CMS-certified nursing facilities are University Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (0.1 mi; CMS rating 4 of 5) and Rehabilitation Center of Des Moines (0.6 mi; CMS rating 3 of 5).
Also licensed at this street address: University Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (nursing facility, license 770502). On a shared campus a tenant can often change levels of care without leaving the community.
What should we ask Arbor Heights at University before signing?
Start with what the state's own record raises: ask to read the latest DIAL monitoring report, the fire safety report and the plan of correction; Iowa rules require the program to share them on request.
- Ask for the occupancy agreement and every attachment; Iowa requires it in plain language and 12-point type, with 30 days' notice before a fee change.
- Ask the program to show you, in writing, its own admission and retention criteria on top of the state's.
- Before counting on Medicaid, ask whether Elderly Waiver services are delivered here and how room and board would be paid.
