CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Las Animas County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Las Animas County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 14,555.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 14,555
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 48.2
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Las Animas 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Las Animas 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 18.0 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 Las Animas County's active designations would take about 8.6 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 primary care, 7.1 mental health, 1.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Las Animas 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).
Las Animas County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Las Animas 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Las Animas County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Las Animas County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 64. 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: 08071. Population: 14,555.
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 Las Animas County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mt San Rafael Hospital Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Mt San Rafael Hospital Health Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Mt San Rafael Hospital Health Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Las Animas County | dental | 17.0 |
| Health Solutions Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Las Animas County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Las Animas County
Peak severity leads this reading: Las Animas County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Las Animas County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 18.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Las Animas 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.
Las Animas 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.
Las Animas 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
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Las Animas County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Las Animas County's active designations: about 8.6 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 Las Animas County, CO · 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 Las Animas County's designations
Las Animas County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Las Animas County's 6 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 CO before you draw conclusions from a single score. CO 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Las Animas County's 18.0. Open Whatcom County, WA or Pitt County, NC next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Las Animas County's primary score of 18.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC”).
Whatcom County, WA
18.0 primary score · 226,847 pop.
Pitt County, NC
18.0 primary score · 170,243 pop.
Rock Island County, IL
18.0 primary score · 144,672 pop.
Ventura County, CA
18.0 primary score · 843,843 pop.
Douglas County, NE
18.0 primary score · 584,526 pop.
Lane County, OR
18.0 primary score · 382,971 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Las Animas County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Las Animas County carries an MUA designation (index 48.2; 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 Las Animas County's peak score of 18.0?
- "MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC" leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 10,369 people in the service area; designated 10/05/2023). 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 Las Animas County's severity reading?
- After "MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC", "MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC", "MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC" and "LI-Las Animas County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Las Animas County's high-severity geography?
- Las Animas 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 "MT SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL HEALTH CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08071. 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 08071 (Las Animas County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.