Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court is a congregate assisted living facility (ALF) at 7054 Veterans Parkway in Pell City, St. Clair County, licensed by the Alabama Department of Public Health under ID D5809 for 80 beds. Its license status on ADPH's directory export of October 30, 2026 is regular.
What does Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court's Alabama license cover?
ADPH classes Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court as a congregate facility (17 or more residents); its 80 licensed beds make it larger than the 38-bed median across the area's licensed assisted living and memory care. No numeric staffing ratio applies to a regular Alabama ALF; the rule asks for enough staff around the clock.
| License detail | ADPH record |
|---|---|
| ADPH license ID | D5809 |
| License class (ADPH) | Congregate Assisted Living Facility |
| Licensed beds | 80 |
| License status | Regular |
| Licensee type | Corporation |
| Administrator on file | Matthew Goolsby |
| Phone on file | (205) 227-7985 |
| Same address | Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home (Skilled nursing facility, 174 beds) |
What did Alabama's latest inspection of Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court find?
ADPH's newest posted statement of deficiencies for Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court covers a licensure survey completed April 8, 2026 and cites 2 deficiency tags. Surveyors recorded a census of 80 in 80 beds, about 100% full.
| Tag | Rule cited |
|---|---|
| A1201 | 420-5-4-.12 (1) Physical Environment |
| A804 | 420-5-4-.08 (4) Physical Facilities |
Topics cited: physical environment (1), physical facilities (1). Locally, newest reports cite a median of 5 tags; this one is at or under it. Read the findings and plan of correction in the original ADPH report.
What is Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court's inspection history?
ADPH lists 9 posted survey reports for Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court, from 2014 to 2026; the newest is dated April 8, 2026, about 0.6 years ago, against a 2.4-year median for the area's licensed assisted living.
| Survey date | Category | Survey type |
|---|---|---|
| 4/8/2026 | HPS Clinical Deficiencies | Licensure |
| 11/7/2024 | Life Safety Code Deficiencies | Licensure |
| 2/21/2024 | Life Safety Code Deficiencies | Recertification |
| 5/3/2022 | Life Safety Code Deficiencies | Follow Up |
| 6/9/2021 | HPS Clinical Deficiencies | Licensure/Complaint |
| 2/19/2020 | HPS Clinical Deficiencies | Not labeled |
| 2/8/2018 | HPS Clinical Deficiencies | Not labeled |
| 1/4/2017 | Life Safety Code Deficiencies | Licensure |
Survey types on file: licensure (3), not labeled (3), recertification (1), follow up (1), licensure/complaint (1).
What are the alternatives to Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court nearby?
Apart from its own campus, the nearest license on ADPH's roster is Oak Circle Assisted Living, LLC in Pell City, a Group ALF with 16 beds in the same ZIP code.
| Facility | License class | Miles away | Licensed beds | Newest posted ADPH survey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak Circle Assisted Living, LLC | Group ALF | same ZIP | 16 | June 12, 2025 |
| Village at Cook Springs Assisted Living Facility | Congregate ALF | same ZIP | 44 | June 11, 2025 |
| Legacy Ridge Trussville | Congregate ALF | 15.9 | 55 | December 4, 2025 |
| Salterra Senior Living at Peachtree | Congregate ALF | 15.9 | 32 | None posted |
Where is Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court and what is nearby?
Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court is in Pell City, ZIP 35125, in St. Clair County; the closest general hospital on ADPH's roster is UAB St. Vincent's St.Clair, about 0.0 miles away.
Next is UAB St. Vincent's East at roughly 20.6 miles. Distances run between ZIP-code centers, so drive times will differ.
Free help for St. Clair County families comes from Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A) (205-670-5770), which also runs the long-term care ombudsman who can visit residents here.
What should families ask Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home Freedom Court on a tour?
Start with the record: ask what changed in physical environment after the April 8, 2026 survey, and to see the plan of correction.
- Ask where residents usually go when dementia progresses, since this license cannot secure the doors.
- Ask how the facility checks each month that residents can still recognize their own medication packets.
- Ask whether a move to the Skilled nursing facility at the same address is handled as an internal transfer.
- Ask for the rate sheet and how care-level charges are assessed.
