Greater Southside Health and Rehab: Staffing Failures - IA
The September 2025 complaint inspection at the facility, located at 5608 SW 9th Street, documented what staff described as an ongoing and unresolved problem. The Director of Nursing had been working the floor herself, pulling an overnight shift from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on July 28, 2025. When the person responsible for overseeing nursing operations is filling in as a floor aide in the middle of the night, that's a signal the staffing math isn't working.
The facility's own assessment says it should have at least five CNAs working day and evening shifts, and four or more on overnight. A review of time card data from July 28, August 4, and August 22 found that required CNA counts weren't met on several shifts across those dates. The facility set the standard. It then failed to meet it, repeatedly, across a span of nearly a month.
Residents noticed.
The facility's own Resident Council meeting notes from August 22 recorded that call light response times were still running longer than 15 minutes and that beds were still not being made. These aren't minor inconveniences. A resident who needs help getting to the bathroom, or repositioning, or simply needs to know someone is coming, is waiting a quarter of an hour or more to find out. The council notes suggest this wasn't a one-time complaint. The word "still" appears twice.
Staff interviewed during the inspection didn't dispute any of it.
A licensed practical nurse, identified in the report as Staff H, told surveyors on September 2 that staffing had gotten better but could still improve. A CNA identified as Staff A said the facility struggles with staffing and that at least once a week they are so short-staffed that it is difficult to get everything done. Another CNA, identified in the report as speaking about the shortage, said she knows the facility has been working on it, but that it is still difficult and has led to not everything getting done.
Three staff members. Three versions of the same sentence.
The deficiency was cited at a level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm, and the inspection report notes that some residents were affected. The regulatory tag is F0725, which covers sufficient staffing. The inspection was completed September 3, 2025.
What the report captures is a facility where the gap between what's supposed to happen and what actually happens has become routine enough that workers have absorbed it. They know the call lights are running long. They know the beds aren't getting made. They know that at least once a week the floor is too thin to do the job right. And they keep showing up anyway, doing what they can with what they have, while residents wait.
The Director of Nursing working a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. floor shift is, in one sense, someone stepping up. In another sense, it's a facility so short on bodies that its top clinical administrator is spending the night changing assignments and answering lights instead of managing the operation. Both things are true at the same time.
The resident who waited 16 minutes for someone to answer their call light on August 22 didn't know any of that. They just knew no one was coming.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation from 2025-09-03 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: July 1, 2026 · Our methodology
Greater Southside Health and Rehabilitation in Des Moines, IA was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 3, 2025.
The September 2025 complaint inspection at the facility, located at 5608 SW 9th Street, documented what staff described as an ongoing and unresolved problem.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.