Heart Of The Ozarks Healthcare Center sits in Ava, Missouri about 30 miles from Marshfield, and folks will find this place provides a wide range of care services and living options for seniors, people with disabilities, and those who need skilled nursing help, so you get choices like skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living, memory care, respite care, home care, and retirement communities all under one roof or in connected parts of the facility, and that sure makes it easier for residents to age in place if their health needs change. You've got 120 certified beds, but recent records say about 88 folks live in those beds, which means there's space for more, and the occupancy rate sits right around 65% or so, and the rooms come with basic furniture, private bathrooms, air conditioning, cable TV, high-speed internet, and kitchenettes in some of the layouts, and they let you pick from different studio room designs to match what you want or need.
This Health Center gets its certification from Medicare and Medicaid, and folks can use those programs to help pay, with a current 3-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, though some other recent reports say the overall rating is 5, the health inspection is 5, and the staff and quality ratings are 4 and 5 respectively, so it does perform well in some categories. The nursing staff gives about 4.8 hours of care per resident each day, split up between registered nurses, LPNs, and certified nursing assistants, and physical therapists come by too, though their reported time is low, and you'll see residents here have needs ranging from wound care and pain management to help with memory loss, daily routines, and more serious health issues.
Care services cover nursing, physical and occupational therapy, speech pathology, social services, pharmacy, dental, podiatry, hospice, respite care, and medication management, while they also help manage things like pressure sores, infections, mobility challenges, and other common health problems for older adults. They train the staff to assist with bathing, dressing, eating, and moving around, and the place is always supervised with a 24-hour call system for safety, and residents can join an organized council to talk about concerns and share ideas for improvement.
Dining services are available all day, with a dining room, professional chef, and special menus for allergies and diabetes, and you'll find snacks and custom meal prep if needed. You get housekeeping, laundry, move-in help, and a few basic concierge services alongside regular room cleaning, and transportation and parking for residents and visitors. For activities, seniors can join fitness classes, movie nights, outdoor programs, walking groups, gardening, music, games, and community events down in the activity room or out in the courtyard or the game and movie rooms, and there's a spa, business room, library, and other shared spaces too.
Heart Of The Ozarks Healthcare Center isn't inside a hospital and doesn't belong to a chain-it's a for-profit limited liability company owned by AVA NO 1 INC, and Randee Evans is listed as administrator. The whole building has all the required sprinkler systems for safety, but some parts are only partially sprinklered, and regular inspections keep operations up to code. The healthcare team includes RNs, LPNs, CNAs, therapists, social workers, dieticians, and pharmacists, and they handle things like vaccinations with a high influenza rate among long-stay residents, though the rate for pneumococcal shots runs lower than the state or national average.
Close by in the local Ava community you'll find access to pharmacies like Walgreens and Ava Drug, churches such as Saint Leo's Catholic, and green spaces like Ava Park and Rippee Conservation Area if you want a bit of nature or to get out with family. The center keeps a mix of health-focused, social, and spiritual resources, and there's plenty of options and guidance for new residents or families looking for honest, practical help in sorting out care choices. They offer tours so folks can see the place for themselves and meet staff before deciding, and it can be a decent fit for people searching for skilled care with common comforts and a range of support services.
