CT · Healthcare shortage profile
Greater Bridgeport County, CT
Peak severity leads this reading: Greater Bridgeport County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 326,381.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 326,381
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Greater Bridgeport County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Greater Bridgeport County, CT 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 25.0 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 Greater Bridgeport County's active designations would take about 48 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 15 primary care, 17 mental health, 16 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Greater Bridgeport County's 10 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Greater Bridgeport County carries 10 active designations, above 83% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Greater Bridgeport County falls in the upper half of CT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 17. 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: 09120. Population: 326,381.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Greater Bridgeport 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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Greater Bridgeport County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Optimus Health Care, Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Southwest Community Health Center Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Optimus Health Care, Inc | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Southwest Community Health Center Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Southwest Community Health Center Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Optimus Health Care, Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI - Bridgeport | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Bridgeport | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Catchments 3 and 4 Bridgeport Service Area | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Region 2 | mental_health | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Greater Bridgeport County
Peak severity leads this reading: Greater Bridgeport County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Greater Bridgeport County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Greater Bridgeport County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Greater Bridgeport County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Greater Bridgeport County falls in the upper half of CT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 17. 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.
Greater Bridgeport County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Greater Bridgeport County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Greater Bridgeport County's active designations: about 48 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 Greater Bridgeport County, CT · 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
Greater Bridgeport County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Greater Bridgeport County's 10 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of CT before you draw conclusions from a single score. CT 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 Greater Bridgeport County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Greater Bridgeport County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE, INC”).
Cook County, IL
25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Riverside County, CA
25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Broward County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Bronx County, NY
25.0 dental score · 1,472,654 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
25.0 dental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Fresno County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,008,654 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Greater Bridgeport County's peak score of 25.0?
- "OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE, INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 82,142 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 10 active rows: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental.
- Why is Greater Bridgeport County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Greater Bridgeport 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 Greater Bridgeport County's severity reading?
- After "OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE, INC", the next active names on this release are "OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE, INC", "SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC", "OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE, INC" and "SOUTHWEST COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~48 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Greater Bridgeport County's high-severity geography?
- Greater Bridgeport County's 10 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 "OPTIMUS HEALTH CARE, INC".
- How does Greater Bridgeport County's peak severity sit inside CT?
- Greater Bridgeport County holds 10 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Greater Bridgeport County falls in the upper half of CT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 17. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 09120. 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 09120 (Greater Bridgeport County, CT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.