Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

AK · Healthcare shortage profile

Lake and Peninsula County, AK

Home to 1,476 residents, with 44 active HRSA shortage designations.

Active HPSAs
44
Population
1,476
Peak shortage score
15.0
MUA Index
58.0

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lake and Peninsula County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 44 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.

44
Active HPSA designations
14
Primary-care shortages
15
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 1%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lake and Peninsula County, AK on its own pages , computed from the retained designation mirror as of 2026-08-03. Each line carries its own denominator so it can be quoted as it stands.

  1. 34.1% of Lake and Peninsula County's 44 active designations are mental health.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 14 primary care, 15 mental health, 15 dental (denominator 44).

  2. Closing Lake and Peninsula County's active designations would take about 1.1 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 0.3 mental health, 0.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. Peak HPSA score 15.0 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.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lake and Peninsula County carries 44 active designations, above 99% 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. Lake and Peninsula County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 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: 02164. Population: 1,476.

Below high-priority line

Lake and Peninsula County is designated, but no active score clears 17

44 active designations sit on this FIPS (14 primary care, 15 mental health, 15 dental), and the peak severity is 15.0. 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

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.0

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 14.0
Dental 12.0

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

Showing the 40 most-severe of 44 active (designated) HPSAs in Lake and Peninsula County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
New Halen Health Clinic primary_care 15.0
Chignik Bay Subregional Clinic primary_care 15.0
Ugashik Village Clinic primary_care 15.0
Levelock Village Clinic primary_care 15.0
Bristol Bay/Dillingham/Lake Peninsula mental_health 14.0
Port Alsworth Health Center mental_health 12.0
Perryville Village Clinic mental_health 12.0
Ugashik Village Clinic dental 12.0
Levelock Village Clinic dental 12.0
New Halen Health Clinic dental 12.0
Chignik Lake Village Clinic dental 12.0
Port Heiden Village Clinic dental 12.0
Egegik Village Clinic dental 12.0
Chignik Bay Subregional Clinic dental 12.0
Pilot Point Village Clinic dental 12.0
Ugashik Village Clinic mental_health 11.0
Levelock Village Clinic mental_health 11.0
Nilavena Subregional Clinic mental_health 11.0
New Halen Health Clinic mental_health 11.0
Kokhanok Village Clinic mental_health 11.0
Chignik Bay Subregional Clinic mental_health 11.0
Port Heiden Village Clinic primary_care 10.0
Chignik Lake Village Clinic primary_care 10.0
Perryville Village Clinic primary_care 10.0
Pilot Point Village Clinic primary_care 10.0
Egegik Village Clinic primary_care 10.0
Egegik Village Clinic mental_health 10.0
Nondalton Health Clinic mental_health 10.0
Chignik Lake Village Clinic mental_health 10.0
Port Heiden Village Clinic mental_health 10.0
Pilot Point Village Clinic mental_health 10.0
Pedro Bay Health Clinic dental 10.0
Bristol Bay/Lake and Peninsula Boroughs dental 10.0
Nondalton Health Clinic dental 10.0
Perryville Village Clinic dental 10.0
Nilavena Subregional Clinic dental 10.0
Port Alsworth Health Center dental 10.0
Kokhanok Village Clinic dental 10.0
Pedro Bay Health Clinic mental_health 9.0
ME - Lake and Peninsula Borough primary_care 8.0

Heavy-burden reading for Lake and Peninsula County

Primary care is where Lake and Peninsula County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 15.0 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 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Lake and Peninsula County above 99% of real US counties (44 active designations: 14 primary care, 15 mental health, 15 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 15.0. 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.

Lake and Peninsula County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lake and Peninsula County a Medically Underserved Area?

Yes, Lake and Peninsula County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 58.0. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.

How many healthcare shortage areas does Lake and Peninsula County have?

Lake and Peninsula County, AK has 44 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 14 in primary care, 15 in mental health, and 15 in dental care, according to HRSA data.

What does Lake and Peninsula County's HPSA score of 15.0 mean?

15.0 in primary care falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.

What healthcare providers are needed in Lake and Peninsula County?

Based on HRSA shortage designations, Lake and Peninsula County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.

Which federal programs do Lake and Peninsula County's designations unlock?

Lake and Peninsula County's 44 active designations open NHSC placement, Community Health Center grants, the Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, but eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not the county line.

How does Lake and Peninsula County compare to other counties in AK?

Lake and Peninsula County has 44 total HPSA designations with a peak shortage score of 15.0. You can compare shortage levels across all counties in AK on the state overview page, or view national county rankings to see where Lake and Peninsula County stands relative to the rest of the country. Score-nearest counties on this release include Walla Walla County, WA and Durham County, NC.

Next read: The Primary-Care Shortage · AK state overview · NHSC loan repayment

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02164. PlainHealthAccess is not affiliated with HRSA or any government agency.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the HRSA Data Warehouse. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainHealthAccess is rendered directly from HRSA source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page counts active HPSA rows for FIPS 02164 (Lake and Peninsula County, AK) from the current HRSA release and places that total among all real US counties. Designations describe federal shortage criteria, not appointment availability or care quality for any person. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, review the public data changelog, or report a data issue for this page. Data current as of 2026-08-03.