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Hawarden Regional Healthcare enters 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 Regional Healthcare 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 Hospital & University Health Center, 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.” 

What:

The U.S. Postal Service is honoring Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), the first author of African descent in the American Colonies to publish a book, with the 49th stamp in the Black Heritage series.

The first-day-of-issue event for the Phillis Wheatley Black Heritage stamp is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #BlackHeritageStamp.

When:

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, at 11 a.m. EST

Where:

Old South Meeting House

310 Washington St.

Boston, MA 02108

RSVP:

Attendees are encouraged to register at https://www.usps.com/philliswheatleystamp

Background:

Born in West Africa and brought to Boston on a slave ship, Phillis Wheatley was enslaved but educated in the Wheatley household. Wheatley published her first collection, “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral,” in 1773. This collection showcased her impressive mastery of various poetic forms, including hymns, elegies, and narrative verse, securing her place in history. Freed from slavery that same year, she went on to correspond with figures such as George Washington, who praised her poetic talent.

Wheatley’s legacy continues to inspire generations, earning her the title “the mother of African American literature.” Before the Civil War, abolitionists used her accomplishments to affirm the intellectual capability of people of African descent and argue against slavery. Today schools, libraries, community centers and university buildings across the country have been named for Wheatley, and she has been the subject of numerous inspirational books for children. In 2003, a statue of the poet was included in a new Boston Women’s Memorial. The first full-length scholarly biography of Wheatley was published in 2011, with a second biographical study published in 2023, part of an ongoing effort to recognize her resilience in adversity.

Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp using an existing portrait by Kerry James Marshall.

The Phillis Wheatley stamp will be issued in panes of 20. As a Forever stamp, it will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon. Additional information on stamps, First Day of Issue Ceremonies and stamp inspired products can be found at StampsForever.com.

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