CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Rio Grande County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Rio Grande County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 11,539.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 11,539
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 49.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rio Grande County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Rio Grande 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 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.
-
Closing Rio Grande County's active designations would take about 2.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.9 primary care, 1.5 mental health, 0 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Rio Grande County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Rio Grande County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Rio Grande 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rio Grande County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Rio Grande County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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: 08105. Population: 11,539.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Rio Grande County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande Hospital Clinic | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LI-Rio Grande County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| San Luis Valley Mhca | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Monte Vista Rhc OF Rio Grande Hospital | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Rio Grande Hospital Clinic | dental | 18.0 |
| Monte Vista Rhc OF Rio Grande Hospital | dental | 18.0 |
| Monte Vista Rhc OF Rio Grande Hospital | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Rio Grande Hospital Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Rio Grande County | dental | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Rio Grande County
Peak severity leads this reading: Rio Grande County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Rio Grande County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 20.0 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 19.0 of 25; Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Rio Grande County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 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.
Rio Grande County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 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.
Rio Grande 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Rio Grande County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Rio Grande County's active designations: about 2.4 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 Rio Grande 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
Rio Grande County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Rio Grande County's 9 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Rio Grande County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Frederick County, MD and El Dorado County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Rio Grande County's primary score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “RIO GRANDE HOSPITAL CLINIC”).
Frederick County, MD
20.0 primary score · 271,717 pop.
El Dorado County, CA
20.0 primary score · 191,185 pop.
Sandoval County, NM
20.0 primary score · 148,834 pop.
New York County, NY
20.0 primary score · 1,694,251 pop.
Hidalgo County, TX
20.0 primary score · 870,781 pop.
Summit County, OH
20.0 primary score · 540,428 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Rio Grande County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Rio Grande County carries an MUA designation (index 49.9; 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 Rio Grande County's peak score of 20.0?
- "RIO GRANDE HOSPITAL CLINIC" leads the active set (score 20.0; primary care; 10,460 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Rio Grande County's severity reading?
- After "RIO GRANDE HOSPITAL CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "RIO GRANDE HOSPITAL CLINIC", "LI-Rio Grande County", "San Luis Valley MHCA" and "MONTE VISTA RHC OF RIO GRANDE HOSPITAL". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Rio Grande County's high-severity geography?
- Rio Grande County's 9 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 "RIO GRANDE HOSPITAL CLINIC".
- How does Rio Grande County's peak severity sit inside CO?
- Rio Grande County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. Rio Grande County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 64. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Frederick County, MD and El Dorado County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08105. 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 08105 (Rio Grande County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.