CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Montrose County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Montrose County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 42,679.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 42,679
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 52.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Montrose County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Montrose 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 20.0 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 Montrose 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): 1.5 primary care, 8.2 mental health, 1.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Montrose County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 8).
Montrose County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Montrose 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.
Montrose County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. Montrose County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 08085. Population: 42,679.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Montrose County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Olathe Community Clinic, Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Olathe Community Clinic, Inc. | dental | 20.0 |
| Axis Health System Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Olathe Community Clinic, Inc. | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Montrose | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI-Montrose | dental | 14.0 |
| LI Nucla/Norwood | primary_care | 11.0 |
| LI-Western San Miguel/Western Montrose | dental | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Montrose County
Peak severity leads this reading: Montrose County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Montrose County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 20.0 by HRSA, 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Montrose County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Montrose County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 64. 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.
Montrose County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Montrose County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Montrose County's active designations: about 11 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 Montrose 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 a heavy-burden county
Montrose County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Montrose County's 8 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.
Counties With a Similar Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Montrose County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Snohomish County, WA and Marion County, FL.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Montrose County's dental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC.”).
Snohomish County, WA
20.0 dental score · 827,957 pop.
Marion County, FL
20.0 dental score · 375,908 pop.
Clark County, OH
20.0 dental score · 136,001 pop.
Polk County, OR
20.0 dental score · 87,433 pop.
Lake County, CA
20.0 dental score · 68,163 pop.
Sampson County, NC
20.0 dental score · 59,036 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Montrose County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Montrose County carries an MUA designation (index 52.2; 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 Montrose County's peak score of 20.0?
- "OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC." leads the active set (score 20.0; mental health; 16,411 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Montrose County's severity reading?
- After "OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC.", the next active names on this release are "OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC.", "OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC.", "Axis Health System MHCA" and "OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Montrose County's high-severity geography?
- Montrose County's 8 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 "OLATHE COMMUNITY CLINIC, INC.".
- How does Montrose County's peak severity sit inside CO?
- Montrose County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. Montrose County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 64. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Snohomish County, WA and Marion County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08085. 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 08085 (Montrose County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.