Four hospital mergers and affiliations took effect Jan. 1, marking a busy start to 2026 for healthcare consolidation.
Here are the four mergers and acquisitions, as reported by Becker’s:
1. Hawarden (Iowa) Regional Healthcare entered a “partner in health” agreement with Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health Jan. 1, after transitioning from its previous affiliation with Des Moines, Iowa-based MercyOne. Hawarden Regional will remain under city ownership. The critical access hospital and its three clinics will also keep their existing names, but will add “an Avera Partner” to signage.
2. Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare completed its $86.1 million acquisition of Manchester (Conn.) Memorial Hospital from Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings Jan. 1. Under the acquisition, Hartford agreed to invest around $225.7 million over the next three years to “improve care and services across the region.”
3. Marlborough (Mass.) Hospital became a campus of UMass Memorial Medical Center Jan. 1. The 79-bed hospital was renamed UMass Memorial Medical Center–Marlborough Campus. The current teams at Marlborough Hospital will continue to provide care to patients. The hospital will also receive an expanded emergency department, a new outpatient clinic, an advanced spectral CT scanner and enhanced cancer treatment services.
4. Rockford, Ill.-based Mercyhealth acquired Freeport, Ill.-based FHN, a 100-bed hospital with eight outpatient facilities, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Under the affiliation, FHN entered leadership transitions, including exits from its President and CEO Mark Gridley; Chief Human Resource Director Len Carter; CFO Mike Clark; and Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer and COO Kathy Martinez, BSN, RN.
