IOWA — An Iowa nursing home administrator has surrendered her license after being criminally convicted of stealing hundreds of patient medications from care facilities where she worked, according to state records.
Conviction and License Surrender
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Cassandra Strube of LeClaire, who also briefly worked for the state agency that inspects nursing homes, agreed to give up her license following multiple accusations of drug theft.
The Iowa Nursing Home Administrators Board alleged that in 2022, while serving as administrator for Aspire of Pleasant Valley and Atrium Village Nursing Home in Hills, Strube stole medications from emergency drug kits:
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60 hydrocodone pills from Aspire of Pleasant Valley
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Additional oxycodone and hydrocodone from Atrium Village
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Later found with OxyContin and 500+ tramadol pills without a prescription
Strube pleaded guilty last year to acquiring controlled substances by fraud, deception, or misrepresentation.
Under the board’s order, Strube can apply for license reinstatement after one year.
Brief State Employment
Strube also worked for the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing from Aug. 19, 2022, to Sept. 6, 2022 as a health facilities officer.
The department clarified that she was in training, had no oversight of nursing homes or residents, and was terminated after less than three weeks.
Details of the Drug Theft Incident
The drug thefts became public in 2023 during Strube’s unemployment-benefits hearing. Testimony from Atrium Village officials revealed troubling details:
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On Nov. 29, 2022, Strube obtained a master key to access her guest room but allegedly used it to unlock the emergency medication storage area.
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The next day, she was found outside the building, incoherent, without shoes or a coat, bleeding from one foot, and admitted to taking unknown medication.
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Inside her room, staff found loose pills, open boxes, and bottles of medication scattered.
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Her office was in disarray — phones off the hook, an open window, a torn plant, and items thrown across the room.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that resident medications were missing. Strube later claimed a stranger attacked her and she blacked out.
Past Employment and Ongoing Cases
Strube previously worked at several Iowa facilities, including Anamosa Care Center, Trinity Senior Living Communities, and Ruthven Community Care Center.
Separately, the Iowa Nursing Home Administrators Board has charged Amanda Nobles of Holstein with violating state or federal regulations while working as a nursing home administrator in Correctionville and Dunlap. The exact details remain undisclosed, and a hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13, 2025.
