CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Rio Blanco County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Rio Blanco County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 6,529.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 6,529
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rio Blanco County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Primary-care shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Rio Blanco County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Rio Blanco County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Rio Blanco 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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Closing Rio Blanco 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): 0.8 primary care, 9.7 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Rio Blanco County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
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Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Rio Blanco County carries 3 active designations, above 20% 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. Rio Blanco County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 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: 08103. Population: 6,529.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Rio Blanco County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Rio Blanco County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Meeker Rsa | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Rio Blanco East | dental | 15.0 |
| Colorado West Regional Mhca | mental_health | 14.0 |
Light-burden reading for Rio Blanco County
Peak severity leads this reading: Rio Blanco County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Rio Blanco County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 16.0 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 15.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Rio Blanco County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Rio Blanco County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Rio Blanco County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 of 64. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Rio Blanco County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Rio Blanco County's active designations: about 11 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Rio Blanco County's primary score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Meeker RSA”).
Cumberland County, ME
16.0 primary score · 303,069 pop.
Deschutes County, OR
16.0 primary score · 198,253 pop.
Charles County, MD
16.0 primary score · 166,617 pop.
Oswego County, NY
16.0 primary score · 117,525 pop.
Highlands County, FL
16.0 primary score · 101,235 pop.
Santa Clara County, CA
16.0 primary score · 1,936,259 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Rio Blanco County's peak score of 16.0?
- "Meeker RSA" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 875 people in the service area; ~0.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/09/2026). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Why is Rio Blanco County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Rio Blanco County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Rio Blanco County's severity reading?
- After "Meeker RSA", the next active names on this release are "Meeker RSA", "Rio Blanco East" and "Colorado West Regional MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08103. 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 08103 (Rio Blanco County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.