FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Polk County, FL
Peak severity leads this reading: Polk County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 725,046.
- Active HPSAs
- 16
- Population
- 725,046
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 56.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Polk County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 16 active HPSA designations, more than 92% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 16
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 8%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Polk 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 26.0 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 Polk County's active designations would take about 29 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care, 24 mental health, 2.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Polk County's 16 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 16).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Polk County
Polk County intersects 45 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
33 additional ZCTAs intersect this county in the crosswalk (ordered by land share).
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, Polk County carries 16 active designations, above 92% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Polk County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 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: 12105. Population: 725,046.
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 16 active (designated) HPSAs in Polk County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Central Florida Health Care, Inc. | dental | 26.0 |
| Central Florida Health Care, Inc. | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Central Florida Health Care, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Heartland Pediatrics OF Lake Wales LLC | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Heartland Pediatrics OF Lake Wales LLC | dental | 18.0 |
| Adventhealth Family Medicine Frostproof | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-CentralFLBehavioralHealthNetwork-Circuit10-MHCA | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Adventhealth Family Medicine Frostproof | dental | 17.0 |
| Heartland Pediatrics OF Lake Wales LLC | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Adventhealth Family Medicine Frostproof | primary_care | 16.0 |
| CF-Polk Correctional Institution/Work Camp | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF - Avon Park Correctional Institution/Work Camp | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Avon Park Correctional Institution/Work Camp | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF - Avon Park Correctional Institution/Work Camp | dental | 6.0 |
| CF-Polk Correctional Institution/Work Camp | primary_care | 3.0 |
| CF-Polk Correctional Institution/Work Camp | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Polk County
Peak severity leads this reading: Polk County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Polk County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Polk County above 92% of real US counties (16 active designations: 5 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. 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.
Polk County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 67. 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.
Polk 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
6 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Polk County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Polk County's active designations: about 29 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 Polk County, FL · 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
Polk County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Polk County's 16 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 FL before you draw conclusions from a single score. FL 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 Polk County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Guam County, GU and Van Buren County, MI.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Polk County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC.”).
Guam County, GU
26.0 dental score · 153,836 pop.
Van Buren County, MI
26.0 dental score · 75,587 pop.
Hancock County, ME
26.0 dental score · 55,478 pop.
Pinellas County, FL
26.0 dental score · 959,107 pop.
Passaic County, NJ
26.0 dental score · 524,118 pop.
Rockland County, NY
26.0 dental score · 338,329 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Polk County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Polk County carries an MUA designation (index 56.9; 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 Polk County's peak score of 26.0?
- "CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC." leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 205,987 people in the service area; designated 11/12/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 16 active rows: 5 primary care, 6 mental health, 5 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Polk County's severity reading?
- After "CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC.", the next active names on this release are "CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC.", "CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC.", "CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC." and "HEARTLAND PEDIATRICS OF LAKE WALES LLC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~29 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Polk County's high-severity geography?
- Polk County's 16 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 "CENTRAL FLORIDA HEALTH CARE, INC.".
- How does Polk County's peak severity sit inside FL?
- Polk County holds 16 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Polk County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 67. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Guam County, GU and Van Buren County, MI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12105. 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 12105 (Polk County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 16; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.