FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Hernando County, FL
Home to 194,515 residents, with 5 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 194,515
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 47.1
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hernando County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hernando 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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40% of Hernando County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
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Closing Hernando County's active designations would take about 33 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.2 primary care, 24 mental health, 1.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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, Hernando County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Hernando County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 53 of 67. 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: 12053. Population: 194,515.
Below high-priority line
Hernando County is designated, but no active score clears 17
5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Hernando County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Lutheran Services Florida-Circuit 5 Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| CF-Hernando Correctional Institution | primary_care | 12.0 |
| LI-Hernando County | primary_care | 12.0 |
| CF- Hernando Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Hernando CI | dental | 6.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Hernando County
Hernando County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 6.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Hernando County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Hernando County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 53 of 67. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hernando County's active designations: a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Hernando County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (5 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (12.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hernando County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Hernando County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 47.1. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Hernando County have?
Hernando County, FL has 5 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Hernando County's HPSA score of 16.0 mean?
16.0 in mental health falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.
What healthcare providers are needed in Hernando County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Hernando County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12053. 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.