AK · Healthcare shortage profile
Denali County, AK
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Denali County's active designations would take about 22 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 1,619.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 1,619
- Peak shortage score
- 13.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Denali County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 13
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Denali County, AK 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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Closing Denali County's active designations would take about 22 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 9.6 primary care, 3.5 mental health, 8.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Denali County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
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Peak HPSA score 13.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Denali County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Denali County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Denali County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Denali County falls in the lower half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 31. 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: 02068. Population: 1,619.
Below high-priority line
Denali County is designated, but no active score clears 17
9 active designations sit on this FIPS (3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental), and the peak severity is 13.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Denali County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Denali | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Denali | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Mary C. Dementieff Health Clinic Nenana | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Mary C. Dementieff Health Clinic Nenana | mental_health | 11.0 |
| Mary C. Dementieff Health Clinic Nenana | dental | 11.0 |
| Denali | dental | 10.0 |
| Cantwell Village Clinic | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Cantwell Village Clinic | dental | 8.0 |
| Cantwell Village Clinic | primary_care | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Denali County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Denali County's active designations would take about 22 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Primary care is where Denali County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 13.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 11.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Volume places Denali County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 13.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Denali County falls in the lower half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 31. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Denali County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 22 FTE across Denali County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Counties with a matching designation count to Denali County's 9
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 9 - the inventory behind the ~22 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Denali County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Denali County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Denali County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~22 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (9.6). "Denali" is the highest-scored active row (score 13.0; primary care; 76,125 people in the service area; ~9.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/19/2026). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Denali County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Denali", "Denali", "Mary C. Dementieff Health Clinic Nenana" and "Mary C. Dementieff Health Clinic Nenana". Discipline counts: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental across 9 designated rows.
- Do Denali County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Denali County's FTE burden compare inside AK?
- 9 active designations and ~22 FTE published need. Denali County falls in the lower half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 31. Score-nearest counties on this release include Crow Wing County, MN and Fayette County, TN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02068. 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 02068 (Denali County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 13.0; signature 22 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.