AL · Healthcare shortage profile
Etowah County, AL
Peak severity leads this reading: Etowah County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 103,436.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 103,436
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 51.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Etowah County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Etowah County, AL on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-15. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.
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Peak HPSA score 25.0 clears HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Scores at or above 17 on the 0–25/26 scales open NHSC placement priority for the matching provider type; eligibility still follows the designated area, not the county boundary alone.
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Closing Etowah County's active designations would take about 4.9 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.9 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Etowah County's 4 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Etowah County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Etowah County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
7 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Etowah County carries 4 active designations, above 44% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Etowah County falls in the upper half of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 67. Ties share a rank.
Computed from current designated HPSA rows for every five-digit county FIPS. See the placement methodology.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 01055. Population: 103,436.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Etowah County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Quality OF Life Health Services, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Quality OF Life Health Services, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Quality OF Life Health Services, Inc. | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-Etowah County | primary_care | 13.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Etowah County
Peak severity leads this reading: Etowah County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Etowah County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Etowah County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Etowah County falls in the upper half of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 67. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Etowah County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
1 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Etowah County, AL · 2026 HRSA designation data updated quarterly; HPSA scores 0-25 (primary/mental) and 0-26 (dental); higher = greater shortage severity. Coverage tiers from U.S. Census ACS PUMS + KFF state tracker.
Acting on Etowah County's designations
Etowah County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Etowah County's 4 active designations make providers here eligible for National Health Service Corps loan repayment, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of AL before you draw conclusions from a single score. AL overview
- Check whether an area clears HRSA's 3,500:1 population-to-provider threshold with the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score. HPSA score lookup
HPSA scores describe shortage severity within HRSA's designation criteria, not the availability of any individual provider. For a specific appointment, contact a provider or your insurer; use HRSA's current tools to verify a designation.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Etowah County's 25.0. Open Cook County, IL or Riverside County, CA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Etowah County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Etowah County carries an MUA designation (index 51.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Etowah County's peak score of 25.0?
- "QUALITY OF LIFE HEALTH SERVICES, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 181,110 people in the service area; designated 07/21/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Etowah County's severity reading?
- After "QUALITY OF LIFE HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", the next active names on this release are "QUALITY OF LIFE HEALTH SERVICES, INC." and "LI-Etowah County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Etowah County's high-severity geography?
- Etowah County's 4 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "QUALITY OF LIFE HEALTH SERVICES, INC.".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 01055. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) , BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_DH.csv (dental) — download the normalized export on our open data page. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.
HRSA Data Warehouse HPSA + MUA/P records for FIPS 01055 (Etowah County, AL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.