FL · Healthcare shortage profile
DeSoto County, FL
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing DeSoto County's active designations would take about 22 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 33,976.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 33,976
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 48.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, DeSoto 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch DeSoto County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting DeSoto 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 DeSoto County, FL 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 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 DeSoto County's active designations would take about 22 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.9 primary care, 13 mental health, 4.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of DeSoto 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).
DeSoto County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. DeSoto County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 12027. Population: 33,976.
Single high-priority discipline
DeSoto County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to DeSoto County , with a peak score of 18.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 DeSoto County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF-Desoto Correctional Institution Annex/Work Camp | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Central FL Behavioral HealthNetwork-Circuit12-MHCA | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Li/mfw - Desoto County | dental | 14.0 |
| CF-DeSoto Correctional Institution Annex/Work Camp | primary_care | 12.0 |
| DeSoto County | primary_care | 12.0 |
| CF-Desoto Correctional Institution Annex/Work Camp | dental | 6.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for DeSoto County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing DeSoto County's active designations would take about 22 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. DeSoto County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 14.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
DeSoto 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.
DeSoto County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 41 of 67. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for DeSoto County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 22 FTE across DeSoto County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on DeSoto County's high-priority mental health
DeSoto County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- DeSoto County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of FL before drawing conclusions from a single score. FL overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to DeSoto County's 18.0. Open Clackamas County, OR or Weber County, UT next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to DeSoto County's 6
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 6 - the inventory behind the ~22 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does DeSoto County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - DeSoto County carries an MUA designation (index 48.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside DeSoto County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~22 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (13). "CF-Desoto Correctional Institution Annex/Work Camp" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 4,757 people in the service area; ~2.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/07/2014). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive DeSoto County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "CF-Desoto Correctional Institution Annex/Work Camp", "LI-Central FL Behavioral HealthNetwork-Circuit12-MHCA", "LI/MFW - Desoto County" and "CF-DeSoto Correctional Institution Annex/Work Camp". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental across 6 designated rows.
- Do DeSoto County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12027. 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 12027 (DeSoto County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature 22 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.