Hawarden Regional Healthcare Affiliates With Avera

Hawarden Regional Healthcare will enter into a Partner in Health agreement with Avera effective Jan. 1, 2026.

This follows a letter of intent that was signed in October to explore and evaluate the potential partnership. Previously, Hawarden Regional Healthcare was affiliated with MercyOne health system.

Hawarden Regional Healthcare will remain owned by the city of Hawarden with local board control. Hawarden Regional Healthcare, a critical access hospital, and its clinics in Hawarden, Ireton and Akron will operate under the same name as in the past, “an Avera Partner” will appear on signage after the agreement takes effect.

Affiliation with Avera means that Avera will provide support in areas such as recruitment and retention of physicians and medical professionals, access to telemedicine and information technology.

“The mission of Hawarden Regional Healthcare is to provide the highest quality health care to the people and communities we serve. Avera has a similar mission and a long history of successful partnerships with rural community hospitals,” said Jayson Pullman, Chief Executive Officer of Hawarden Regional Healthcare. “We are looking forward to the ways in which an Avera relationship will add value to Hawarden, assisting us to provide even better care to our patients, maintaining a high level of satisfaction with employees, and attracting and retaining quality providers.”

Avera Health covers a geographic footprint of 72,000 square miles with 315 locations in 100 communities across five states in the Upper Midwest. That includes eight affiliated hospital campuses in Iowa. Avera has different levels of partnerships with community hospitals, depending on their need, ranging from ownership to lease agreements to Partner in Health agreements. Hawarden will join the Avera McKennan region of Avera.

“Hawarden has a long history of providing quality health care to residents of the region, with a robust range of services that allow patients to stay close to home,” said Regional President and CEO of Avera McKennan, Dr. Ron Place. “We’re proud to welcome Hawarden to the Avera family and look forward to working together to have a positive impact in the lives and health of persons and communities in northwest Iowa.”