CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Garfield County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Garfield County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 61,685.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 61,685
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Garfield County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Garfield County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Garfield County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
3 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Garfield County, CO 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 19.0 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 Garfield County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 9.7 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Garfield County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Garfield County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Garfield County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 08045. Population: 61,685.
Single high-priority discipline
Garfield County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Garfield County , with a peak score of 19.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Garfield County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Family Health Centers | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Mountain Family Health Centers | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Mountain Family Health Centers | dental | 16.0 |
| Colorado West Regional Mhca | mental_health | 14.0 |
| LI Western Garfield | dental | 12.0 |
| Western Garfield | primary_care | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Garfield County
Peak severity leads this reading: Garfield County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Garfield County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 19.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 16.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Garfield County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Garfield County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 64. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Garfield County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Garfield County's active designations: about 11 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Garfield County's high-priority mental health
Garfield County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Garfield County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of CO before drawing conclusions from a single score. CO overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Garfield County's 19.0. Open Lake County, IN or Hamilton County, IN next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Garfield County's mental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS”).
Lake County, IN
19.0 mental score · 498,700 pop.
Hamilton County, IN
19.0 mental score · 347,467 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
19.0 mental score · 216,785 pop.
Saginaw County, MI
19.0 mental score · 190,124 pop.
Black Hawk County, IA
19.0 mental score · 131,144 pop.
Dubuque County, IA
19.0 mental score · 99,266 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Garfield County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Garfield County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Garfield County's peak score of 19.0?
- "MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS" leads the active set (score 19.0; mental health; 17,325 people in the service area; designated 08/29/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Garfield County's severity reading?
- After "MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS", the next active names on this release are "MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS", "MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS", "MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS" and "Colorado West Regional MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Garfield County's high-severity geography?
- Garfield County's 6 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 "MOUNTAIN FAMILY HEALTH CENTERS".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08045. 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 08045 (Garfield County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.