Hawarden Regional Healthcare is now an Avera Health partner.
The partnership, effective January 1, 2026, followed a letter of intent signed in October that allowed both organizations to explore and evaluate the potential affiliation. Hawarden Regional Healthcare was previously affiliated with the MercyOne health system.
Under the agreement, Hawarden Regional Healthcare remains owned by the City of Hawarden and governed by a local board. The critical access hospital, along with its clinics in Hawarden, Ireton, and Akron, continues operating under the Hawarden Regional Healthcare name, with the designation “an Avera Partner” added to signage after the agreement took effect.
Through the affiliation, Avera provides support in key areas including recruitment and retention of physicians and medical professionals, access to telemedicine services, and information technology resources.
“The mission of Hawarden Regional Healthcare is to provide the highest quality health care to the people and communities we serve,” said Jayson Pullman, Chief Executive Officer of Hawarden Regional Healthcare, in a statement issued prior to the agreement taking effect. “Avera shares that mission and has a long history of successful partnerships with rural community hospitals. We looked forward to the ways an Avera relationship would add value to Hawarden by helping us provide even better care to our patients, maintain high employee satisfaction, and attract and retain quality providers.”
Avera Health serves a geographic footprint of approximately 72,000 square miles, with 315 locations in 100 communities across five Upper Midwest states, including eight affiliated hospital campuses in Iowa. Avera offers multiple partnership models with community hospitals based on local needs, ranging from ownership and lease agreements to Partner in Health arrangements. Hawarden Regional Healthcare is part of the Avera McKennan region.
“Hawarden has a long history of providing quality health care to residents of the region, with a strong range of services that allow patients to receive care close to home,” said Dr. Ron Place, Regional President and CEO of Avera McKennan, also in a statement issued before the partnership’s effective date. “We were proud to welcome Hawarden to the Avera family and looked forward to working together to positively impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities in northwest Iowa.”
Featured photo is courtesy of Hawarden Regional Healthcare’s website
