The Hearth at Drexel

Is The Hearth at Drexel licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services?

Yes. The Hearth at Drexel at 238 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 holds an active Pennsylvania DHS license as an Assisted Living Residence, license number 140620, for up to 85 residents. The DHS Provider Directory lists its status as Licensed with a full license as of October 24, 2026.

The Assisted Living Residence license (Chapter 2800, created by Act 56 of 2007) is the less common of Pennsylvania's two categories: only 11 of the 75 licensed homes in Montgomery County hold it. An ALR must offer private living units with a kitchen area and bathroom and can provide more health-related services, so residents can age in place longer than in a typical personal care home.

Pennsylvania licenses are renewed yearly after an inspection. The Hearth at Drexel's current Certificate of Compliance runs from June 18, 2026 to June 18, 2027.

Verify it yourself: search license 140620 or the home's name in the DHS Human Services Provider Directory, then open “Inspection Summary” and “Certificate”.

What did the latest DHS inspection of The Hearth at Drexel find?

DHS's most recent posted Licensing Inspection Summary for The Hearth at Drexel, from its on-site review on 01/15/2026, cites 1 violation in medication storage and administration.

The summary's cover letter dated February 18, 2026 says DHS determined the home's plan of correction was fully implemented. Every Pennsylvania home must post its latest inspection summary in a conspicuous place, so you can also ask to see it on a tour.

Earlier summaries on the DHS site: April 2, 2025 — 3 violations; March 6, 2025 — 2 violations; January 8, 2025 — 25 violations.

DHS posted 8 inspection summaries for The Hearth at Drexel since January 2023; the median for a licensed home in Montgomery County is 8. More summaries usually mean more visits — yearly renewals plus complaint or follow-up inspections — so read the reports, not just the count.

Read the full inspection summary (PDF) →

Does The Hearth at Drexel have a secured memory care unit?

Yes. The Hearth at Drexel's DHS certificate approves a Special Care Unit with capacity for 20 residents — about 24% of its 85 licensed beds. Pennsylvania regulates these units under 55 Pa. Code §§2800.231–239 rather than through a separate memory care license.

48 of the 75 licensed homes in Montgomery County have a secured dementia or special care unit, with a median of 30 beds; The Hearth at Drexel's 20-bed unit is smaller than most, which some families prefer.

Admission to a secured unit requires a written assessment showing the resident needs that level of protection, and the home must give families a disclosure of the unit's services, staffing and costs. Ask for that disclosure in writing.

Where is The Hearth at Drexel located in Bala Cynwyd?

The Hearth at Drexel is at 238 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, in Montgomery County. Hospitals families in Bala Cynwyd commonly use include Lankenau Medical Center (Wynnewood) and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

Bala Cynwyd sits just across City Avenue from Philadelphia, in Lower Merion Township.

2 other licensed homes are listed in Bala Cynwyd: The Residence at Bala Cynwyd, Symphony Square at Bala Cynwyd.

Veterans and surviving spouses can use the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia and may qualify for VA Aid & Attendance toward personal care home costs.

How does The Hearth at Drexel compare with other assisted living in Montgomery County?

With 85 licensed beds, The Hearth at Drexel is about typical in size among the 75 DHS-licensed homes in Montgomery County (number 37 by capacity); the county median is 82 beds.

Across the county, 48 homes have a secured dementia or special care unit, 11 hold the Assisted Living Residence license, and 28 are nonprofit-operated; 1 currently hold a provisional license.

The Hearth at Drexel is nonprofit-operated (licensee: MARY J DREXEL HOME). Many nonprofit homes in the region sit on continuing care retirement community campuses, where independent living and skilled nursing share the grounds — ask whether this one does.

Closest in size among Montgomery County homes, from the same DHS records:

How much does The Hearth at Drexel cost per month?

Pennsylvania does not publish prices for individual homes, so ask The Hearth at Drexel for its written fee schedule and resident contract. This site's 2026 research puts typical Greater Philadelphia assisted living at $4,800–$6,900/mo, with secured dementia care usually in the $6,200–$8,600/mo range.

Assisted Living Residences usually price above personal care homes because of the private-unit and service requirements of Chapter 2800; ask whether care is billed as levels, points or à la carte.

Medicare does not pay for personal care home or assisted living rent. Community HealthChoices (Pennsylvania's Medicaid long-term-care program) does not cover room and board, and some homes accept residents whose income is SSI plus the state supplement for personal care home residents — see our SSI supplement guide. VA Aid & Attendance and long-term care insurance can also help.

What should you ask when touring The Hearth at Drexel?

Start with the areas DHS already cited at The Hearth at Drexel — medication storage and administration — and ask what changed after the inspection; then cover overnight staffing, the full fee schedule and move-out triggers.

• Who passes medications, what training do they have, and how are errors reported to families?
• Do you accept residents whose income is SSI plus Pennsylvania's personal care home supplement?
• How do you handle a hospital discharge back to the home?
• What is the full monthly fee for my parent's care level, and what would trigger an increase?
• Which care needs would require a move to a nursing home?
• How long have the administrator and the head of resident care been in their roles?
• Is a nurse on site every day, and who covers nights and weekends?
• What happens if a resident runs out of private funds?

Visit twice — once at a meal — and read the resident contract before paying anything. If problems come up later, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman can help, and DHS takes complaints at 1-877-401-8835.

How does moving into The Hearth at Drexel work?

Before anyone moves into The Hearth at Drexel, Pennsylvania rules require a preadmission screening, a recent medical evaluation and a signed resident contract.

• Resident contract. Chapter 2800 requires a written contract listing the fee for each service, refund rules and the notice the home must give before a discharge or rate change. Take it home before signing.
• Assessment and support plan. The home assesses each new resident and writes a support plan within the first 30 days, then updates it at least yearly and whenever needs change.
• Secured unit admission. Placement in The Hearth at Drexel's 20-bed Special Care Unit requires a written assessment that the secured setting is needed; ask what would move a resident between the general and secured areas.
• Medications. Ask who administers medications, how they are trained, and whether your parent may self-administer.
• Payment. Rent and care are mostly private pay; ask about deposits, community fees and how a hospital stay affects billing.

If The Hearth at Drexel has no opening, ask to join its waitlist and keep touring — availability at larger Greater Philadelphia homes changes month to month.

Frequently asked questions