Fonda Specialty Care

Nursing Home & Skilled Nursing · Fonda, IA

CMS overall rating

607 Queen Street, Fonda, Ia 505400504 View map

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Fonda Specialty Care accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

Calculator: See prices in your area

Fonda Specialty Care accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private pay.

Overview of Fonda Specialty Care

Fonda Specialty Care operates a 46-bed skilled nursing property on Queen Street in rural Fonda, Iowa. Managed by administrator Faith Epperson as part of the nonprofit Care Initiatives network, the building retains a consistent occupancy rate near 89 percent. Billing processes combine standard private accounts with state Medicaid and federal Medicare network credentials. Admissions reflect an average length of stay around 372 days, establishing a daily census where short-term physical therapy transitions are combined with conventional long-term clinical monitoring.

Daily nursing schedules ensure an average of 4 hours and 14 minutes of direct care is delivered to each resident. Certified nursing aides provide 2 hours and 25 minutes of this baseline assistance, while registered nurses contribute 31 minutes daily alongside licensed practical nurses to manage medication tracks, wound care, and physical recovery sessions. Because the regional Pocahontas County setting carries a walkability score of 19 out of 100, visiting family members and local employees rely almost exclusively on personal vehicles to handle community travel.

State reports show routine monitoring of the home’s operational quality over multiple evaluation intervals. Recent health audits from state regulators focused on system corrections across fall prevention tracking, professional treatment standards, and standard medication inventory management lines. Local supervisors use these recurring safety inspections to adapt floor patterns, refine internal safety guidelines, and update the continuing training requirements for the clinical staff.

Prospective individuals can contact the intake coordinator to verify current bed layouts, ask about the customized therapy setups, or plan an afternoon walkthrough of the campus common rooms.

Facility Direct Line (712) 288-4441

Quality ratings

Measured by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Staffing hours breakdown

Hours per resident per day — compared to state averages

Total nursing care / resident

4h 14m per day

vs avg

6 of 6 metrics below state avg

Staff type	Hours / Day / Resident	vs state avg
Registered Nurse (RN) RNs hold the highest nursing license and can assess residents, interpret test results, and direct care plans. More RN hours per day often signals stronger clinical oversight and faster response to health changes.	31m per day	▼ 29% State avg: 44m per day · National avg: 41m per day
LPN / LVN Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) or Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) deliver routine hands-on care — medication administration, wound dressing, and monitoring vital signs. They work under RN supervision and make up a large share of daily bedside care.	16m per day	▼ 54% State avg: 34m per day · National avg: 52m per day
Nurse Aide Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) provide the most direct day-to-day assistance: bathing, dressing, feeding, and mobility. Nurse aide hours are typically the largest staffing category and directly affect residents' quality of life.	2h 25m per day	▼ 5% State avg: 2h 32m per day · National avg: 2h 20m per day
Weekend Total Nursing Combined nursing hours (RN + LPN + Nurse Aide) per resident per day on weekends. Staffing often drops on weekends — this figure reveals whether the facility maintains adequate coverage outside of weekday hours.	2h 50m per day	▼ 15% State avg: 3h 21m per day · National avg: 3h 26m per day
Physical Therapist Hours per resident per day provided by licensed Physical Therapists (PTs) or PT Assistants. PT services help residents recover mobility after injury or illness and are especially important for post-acute (short-stay) rehabilitation.	1m per day	▼ 25% State avg: 2m per day · National avg: 4m per day
Weekend RN Registered nurse hours specifically on weekends. Facilities sometimes reduce RN presence on Saturdays and Sundays — a low weekend RN figure compared to weekday hours can indicate reduced clinical oversight when most administrative staff are absent.	23m per day	▼ 24% State avg: 30m per day · National avg: 28m per day

Capacity and availability

372 days

46-bed community

A moderately sized community that may balance personal attention with shared amenities and social activities.

Walk Score: 19 / 100

Car-dependent. Most errands require a car, with limited nearby walkable options.

About this community

Occupancy

Occupancy rate

89%

Higher than the Iowa average: 75.4%

Occupied beds

41 / 46

Average occupied beds in Iowa homes 51 beds

Facility TypeFree Standing Nursing Facility / Skilled Nursing Facility

StatusActive

ExpirationAugust 1, 2026 Expires in 18 days

CountyPocahontas

License Number760518

CMS Certification Number165312

Certification TypeFALSE

Fonda Specialty Care is administered by Faith Epperson.

Staffing

Key information about the people who lead and staff this community.

ContactWillma Frey (per BBB, record updated Jul 2026)

Rehabilitation Services

24-Hour Staffing

Email fondaadministrator@careinitiatives.org

Pets not allowed

Operating Hours24 hours a day, seven days a week

Since 2020 · 6 years of data 72 deficiencies 24 inspections

Inspection Scorecard This scorecard compares key inspection, deficiency, and complaint metrics at this facility against the Iowa state average. Metrics rated ≥15% worse than average are highlighted in red; those ≥15% better are highlighted in green.

Since 2020 vs. Iowa state average

Overall vs. IA average

Latest Inspection May 6, 2025

Deficiencies Deficiencies are formal regulatory issues recorded during state inspections.	This Facility	IA Average	vs. IA Avg
Total deficiencies Formal regulatory issues recorded by inspectors across all inspection types.	72	27	This facility has 167% more total deficiencies than a typical Iowa assisted living residence (72 vs. IA avg 27).↑ 167% worse
Deficiencies per year Average deficiencies per year since 2020.	12	4.5	This facility has 167% more deficiencies per year than a typical Iowa assisted living residence (12 vs. IA avg 4.5).↑ 167% worse
Deficiencies per inspection Average deficiencies per inspection.	3	1.8	This facility has 67% more deficiencies per inspection than a typical Iowa assisted living residence (3 vs. IA avg 1.8).↑ 67% worse

Inspections State inspections evaluate whether the facility meets health and safety standards.	This Facility	IA Average	vs. IA Avg
Total inspections Combined count of all routine and focused inspections. Excludes complaint investigations.	24	15	This facility has had 60% more total inspections than the Iowa average (24 vs. IA avg 15). More inspections can mean more regulatory scrutiny rather than worse care.↑ 60% more

Inspection Reports Summary An editor-reviewed summary of the themes and findings across this facility's recent inspection reports.

The March 21, 2025 inspection cited five deficiencies including failure to meet professional care standards, inadequate fall supervision, improper medication and respiratory supply storage, and no effective Legionella water management plan.
The facility had multiple substantiated complaints from late 2023 through early 2025 involving medication errors, failure to notify physicians of condition changes, and infection control lapses.
The February 27, 2025 annual recertification survey found the facility in substantial compliance with no deficiencies cited.

Show Inspection Reports

Inspections since 2022

Total health inspections 6

State average N/A

Last Health inspection on Apr 2024

Total health citations

State average N/A

Citations per inspection

4.67

State average N/A

Health citations are formal notices following inspections when they fail to comply with safety and care standards.

21 of 28 citations resulted from standard inspections; 6 of 28 resulted from complaint investigations; and 1 of 28 came from combined inspections (standard and complaint).

Breakdown of citation severity (last 4 years)

Critical health citations

In line with State average

State average: N/A

Serious health citations

In line with State average

State average: N/A

0 critical citations State average: N/A

1 serious citation State average: N/A

27 moderate citations State average: N/A

0 minor citations State average: N/A

Citations history (last 4 years)

Pharmacy moderate citation Apr 18, 2024

Corrected

Care Planning moderate citation Apr 18, 2024

Corrected

Quality of Care moderate citation Dec 21, 2023

Corrected

Resident Rights moderate citation Dec 21, 2023

Corrected

Total staff 66

Employees 55

Contractors 11

Staff to resident ratio 1.61 : 1

0% compared with State average

State average ratio: 0 : 0

Avg staff/day 22

Average shift 6.9 hours

0% compared with State average

State average: 0 hours

Total staff hours (quarter) 14,033

Nursing staff breakdown

9.4 hours

8.8 hours

7.1 hours

Contractor staffing

319 contractor hours this quarter

Physical Therapy Assistant: 5 Physical Therapy Aide: 2 Respiratory Therapy Technician: 1 Speech Language Pathologist: 1 Qualified Social Worker: 1 Medical Director: 1

Staff by category


Certified Nursing Assistant	28	0	28	7,615	92	100%	7.1
Medication Aide/Technician	6	0	6	1,489	92	100%	8.2
Registered Nurse	5	0	5	1,351	84	91%	9.4
Licensed Practical Nurse	5	0	5	708	63	68%	8.8
Administrator	1	0	1	476	61	66%	7.8
Mental Health Service Worker	1	0	1	464	62	67%	7.5
Dietitian	1	0	1	457	64	70%	7.1
Nurse Practitioner	2	0	2	415	55	60%	7.3
RN Director of Nursing	1	0	1	287	34	37%	8.4
Other Dietary Services Staff	2	0	2	253	36	39%	7
Clinical Nurse Specialist	3	0	3	200	27	29%	6.9
Physical Therapy Aide	0	2	2	100	51	55%	2
Respiratory Therapy Technician	0	1	1	94	56	61%	1.7
Medical Director	0	1	1	45	3	3%	15
Physical Therapy Assistant	0	5	5	33	27	29%	1.2
Qualified Social Worker	0	1	1	29	22	24%	1.3
Speech Language Pathologist	0	1	1	19	9	10%	2.1

28 Certified Nursing Assistant

% of Days 100%

6 Medication Aide/Technician

% of Days 100%

5 Registered Nurse

% of Days 91%

5 Licensed Practical Nurse

% of Days 68%

1 Administrator

% of Days 66%

1 Mental Health Service Worker

% of Days 67%

1 Dietitian

% of Days 70%

2 Nurse Practitioner

% of Days 60%

1 RN Director of Nursing

% of Days 37%

2 Other Dietary Services Staff

% of Days 39%

3 Clinical Nurse Specialist

% of Days 29%

2 Physical Therapy Aide

% of Days 55%

1 Respiratory Therapy Technician

% of Days 61%

1 Medical Director

% of Days 3%

5 Physical Therapy Assistant

% of Days 29%

1 Qualified Social Worker

% of Days 24%

1 Speech Language Pathologist

% of Days 10%

View All Staffing Data

No penalties in the past 3 years

No civil money penalties or payment denials were reported in the last 3 years.

High-risk clinical events score 7.5

27% better than State average

State average: 10.2

Functional decline score 15.6

28% better than State average

State average: 21.6

Long-stay resident measures

Above average State avg: 3.3

Need for Help with Daily Activities Increased 12.0%

36% better than State average

State average: 18.8%

Walking Ability Worsened 14.7%

25% better than State average

State average: 19.7%

Low Risk Residents with Bowel/Bladder Incontinence 20.2%

23% better than State average

State average: 26.2%

Falls with Major Injury 2.6%

29% better than State average

State average: 3.6%

High Risk Residents with Pressure Ulcers 4.6%

6% worse than State average

State average: 4.4%

Urinary Tract Infection 0.0%

100% better than State average

State average: 2.5%

Lost Too Much Weight 3.7%

25% better than State average

State average: 5.0%

Depressive Symptoms 4.9%

26% worse than State average

State average: 3.9%

Antipsychotic Use 36.9%

94% worse than State average

State average: 19.0%

Pneumococcal Vaccine 95.5%

In line with State average

State average: 94.4%

Influenza Vaccine 86.4%

9% worse than State average

State average: 95.3%

Short-stay resident measures

Pneumococcal Vaccine 95.9%

13% better than State average

State average: 85.1%

Antipsychotic medication increase 0.0%

100% better than State average

State average: 1.8%

Breakdown by payment type

Medicare

47% of new residents, usually for short-term rehab.

Typical stay 1 - 2 months

Private pay

45% of new residents, often for short stays.

Typical stay 5 - 6 months

Medicaid

8% of new residents, often for long-term daily care.

Typical stay 10 - 11 years

Total residents 41

Medicaid

75.6% of residents

Private pay or other

24.4% of residents

Programs & Services

Residents Group

Residents meet regularly to discuss policies, care quality, and activities

Active Resident Council

Organized group of residents that meets regularly to discuss facility policies, quality of life, and activities.

Financial Trends

Historical financial and operational data for Fonda Specialty Care from 2011–2023, based on CMS SNF Cost Reports.

Key figures below are for fiscal year ending in 12/2023.

Occupancy Rate 93.0% ↑ 3.0pp vs 2022

Net Patient Income $291.1K ↑ ~$177.3K vs 2022

Payroll Costs $2.2M ↑ ~$201.1K vs 2022

Operating Margin 7.6% ↑ 4.1pp vs 2022

Metric	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Occupancy %	78.2%	72.1%	79.9%	81.8%	77.6%	73.1%	81.5%	76.1%	80.4%	80.5%	79.8%	90.0%	93.0%
Beds	46	46	46	46	46	46	46	46	46	46	46	46	46
Net Income	$64,135	-$82,289	-$61,537	$139,820	-$70,719	-$192,424	-$229,609	-$329,077	-$103,726	$87,162	$45,922	$108,168	$237,916
Gross Revenue	$1,983,032	$1,877,184	$2,258,361	$2,411,183	$2,473,992	$2,389,751	$2,795,339	$2,797,367	$3,148,293	$3,323,317	$3,612,044	$4,228,856	$6,871,099
Operating Expenses	$1,809,131	$1,764,286	$1,987,034	$2,112,682	$2,299,639	$2,236,867	$2,517,922	$2,600,331	$2,773,053	$2,857,178	$2,882,859	$3,206,438	$3,559,574
Net Patient Income	$61,283	-$80,665	-$64,666	$139,318	-$76,895	-$198,637	-$237,189	-$333,637	-$84,358	-$115,458	$55,655	$113,863	$291,147
Net Patient Revenue	$1,870,414	$1,683,621	$1,922,368	$2,252,000	$2,222,744	$2,038,230	$2,280,733	$2,266,694	$2,688,695	$2,741,720	$2,938,514	$3,320,301	$3,850,721
Payroll Costs	$1,065,100	$1,072,962	$1,160,484	$1,320,712	$1,444,238	$1,401,382	$1,575,249	$1,640,730	$1,722,283	$1,760,415	$1,726,017	$1,984,006	$2,185,059
Operating Margin %	3.3%	-4.8%	-3.4%	6.2%	-3.5%	-9.8%	-10.4%	-14.7%	-3.1%	-4.2%	1.9%	3.4%	7.6%
Medicare %	2.1%	2.1%	3.8%	4.4%	6.6%	5.0%	6.5%	8.6%	7.2%	3.7%	5.5%	4.6%	5.3%
Medicaid %	56.9%	64.5%	67.1%	72.8%	72.6%	72.3%	79.2%	79.5%	74.4%	82.4%	80.9%	76.9%	75.8%
Private %	41.0%	33.4%	29.1%	22.9%	20.8%	22.6%	14.4%	11.8%	18.4%	13.9%	13.6%	18.5%	18.8%
Net Patient Revenue/Day	$143	$139	$143	$164	$171	$166	$167	$178	$199	$202	$219	$220	$247
Cost/Day	$138	$145	$148	$154	$177	$182	$184	$204	$205	$211	$215	$212	$228
Avg Length of Stay	385.9 days	638.8 days	383.5 days	392.4 days	325.7 days	293.1 days	279.4 days	311.4 days	482.0 days	1,129.9 days	362.1 days	431.5 days	371.6 days

Finances and operations

Based on CMS SNF Cost Report for fiscal year ending in 12/2023.

Net patient revenue

$3.9M

Net patient income

$291.1K

Nonprofit Nonprofit Corporation

Net patient revenue

$3.9M

Net patient income

$291.1K

Other income

$18.1K

Payroll costs

$2.2M 56.7% of net patient revenue

Other operating costs

$1.4M

Total costs

$3.6M

TYPE OF STAY

Mostly short-term rehab stays

Most residents typically stay for a few weeks or months before returning home or moving on.

New residents most often arrive under Medicare (47% of admissions), and a typical Medicare stay runs around 1 - 2 months.

Coverage residents most often arrive under.

Medicare 47%

Private pay 45%

Medicaid 8%

Coverage residents most often leave under.

Medicare 33%

Private pay 17%

Medicaid 50%

0.0 miles from city center Estimated distance in miles from Fonda's city center to Fonda Specialty Care's address, calculated via Google Maps.

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The information below is reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing.


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Nursing Home Explorer

Is Fonda Specialty Care in a walkable area?

Fonda Specialty Care has a walk score of 19. Car-dependent. Most errands require a car, with limited nearby walkable options.

What is the license number of Fonda Specialty Care?

According to IA state health department records, Fonda Specialty Care's license number is 760518.

When does Fonda Specialty Care's license expire?

According to IA state health department records, Fonda Specialty Care's license expires on August 1, 2026.

What is the occupancy rate at Fonda Specialty Care?

Fonda Specialty Care's occupancy is 89%.

Are pets allowed at Fonda Specialty Care?

No, Fonda Specialty Care has a no-pet policy.

What is the best email address for Fonda Specialty Care?

The team at Fonda Specialty Care can be reached at FondaAdministrator@careinitiatives.org.

Does Fonda Specialty Care operate as a for-profit or non-profit?

Fonda Specialty Care is registered as a non-profit in IA.

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Fonda Specialty Care

Overview of Fonda Specialty Care

Quality ratings

Staffing hours breakdown

Capacity and availability

About this community

Occupancy

License Details

Ownership & Operating Entity

Staffing

Leadership

Therapy & Rehabilitation

Staffing & Medical

Contact Information

Additional Policies & Features

Amenities & Lifestyle

Contact Fonda Specialty Care

Inspection History

Inspection Scorecard This scorecard compares key inspection, deficiency, and complaint metrics at this facility against the Iowa state average. Metrics rated ≥15% worse than average are highlighted in red; those ≥15% better are highlighted in green.

Deficiencies Deficiencies are formal regulatory issues recorded during state inspections.

Inspections State inspections evaluate whether the facility meets health and safety standards.

Inspection Reports Summary An editor-reviewed summary of the themes and findings across this facility's recent inspection reports.

Health Inspection History

Inspections since 2022

Breakdown of citation severity (last 4 years)

Citations history (last 4 years)

Staffing Data

Nursing staff breakdown

Registered Nurse

Licensed Practical Nurse

Certified Nursing Assistant

Contractor staffing

Staff by category

28 Certified Nursing Assistant

6 Medication Aide/Technician

5 Registered Nurse

5 Licensed Practical Nurse

1 Administrator

1 Mental Health Service Worker

1 Dietitian

2 Nurse Practitioner

1 RN Director of Nursing

2 Other Dietary Services Staff

3 Clinical Nurse Specialist

2 Physical Therapy Aide

1 Respiratory Therapy Technician

1 Medical Director

5 Physical Therapy Assistant

1 Qualified Social Worker

1 Speech Language Pathologist

Penalties and fines

Quality of care over time

Long-stay resident measures

Short-stay resident measures

Breakdown by payment type

Medicare

Private pay

Medicaid

Facility Characteristics

Programs & Services

Residents Group

Active Resident Council

Financial Trends

Financial Performance

Payroll & Labor Costs

Payer Mix (percentage)

Finances and operations

Who this home usually serves

Mostly short-term rehab stays

Admissions

Discharges

Places of interest near Fonda Specialty Care

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