AR · Healthcare shortage profile
Baxter County, AR
Peak severity leads this reading: Baxter County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 41,627.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 41,627
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 46.3
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Baxter County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Baxter County, AR 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 17.0 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 Baxter County's active designations would take about 5.5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.5 primary care, 3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Baxter County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).
Baxter County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Baxter 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
4 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.
Baxter County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
5 Top 53% higher than 47% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Baxter County falls in the upper half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 75. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 05005. Population: 41,627.
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Baxter County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Access Medical Clinic Arkansas LLC | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Arkansas LLC | dental | 17.0 |
| Access Medical Clinic Arkansas LLC | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI - Baxter County | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Baxter County | primary_care | 13.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Baxter County
Peak severity leads this reading: Baxter County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Baxter County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 46.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Baxter County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Baxter County falls in the upper half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 75. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Baxter County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Baxter County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Baxter County's active designations: about 5.5 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Baxter County, AR · 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 Baxter County's designations
Baxter County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Baxter County's 5 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 AR before you draw conclusions from a single score. AR 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 Baxter County's 17.0. Open Wayne County, NY or Talladega County, AL next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Baxter County's dental score of 17.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 17.0 (severity lead on this page is “ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC”).
Wayne County, NY
17.0 dental score · 91,283 pop.
Talladega County, AL
17.0 dental score · 82,149 pop.
Christian County, KY
17.0 dental score · 72,748 pop.
Pitt County, NC
17.0 dental score · 170,243 pop.
Rowan County, NC
17.0 dental score · 146,875 pop.
Jasper County, MO
17.0 dental score · 122,761 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Baxter County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Baxter County carries an MUA designation (index 46.3; 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 Baxter County's peak score of 17.0?
- "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC" leads the active set (score 17.0; mental health; 42,494 people in the service area; designated 11/05/2024). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Baxter County's severity reading?
- After "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC", the next active names on this release are "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC", "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC", "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC" and "LI - Baxter County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Baxter County's high-severity geography?
- Baxter County's 5 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 "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05005. 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 05005 (Baxter County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.