FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Sarasota County, FL
Home to 434,006 residents, with 4 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 434,006
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 48.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sarasota County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Sarasota 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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50% of Sarasota County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
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Closing Sarasota County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 11 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sarasota County carries 4 active designations, above 44% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Sarasota County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 57 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: 12115. Population: 434,006.
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Sarasota County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Centerplace Health, Inc | dental | 26.0 |
| Centerplace Health, Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Centerplace Health, Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Central FL Behavioral HealthNetwork-Circuit12-MHCA | mental_health | 16.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Sarasota County
Dental care carries Sarasota 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Sarasota County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Sarasota County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 57 of 67. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Sarasota 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
2 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
1 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Sarasota 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 Sarasota County's designations
Sarasota County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Sarasota County's 4 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Sarasota County's 26.0. Open Clermont County, OH or Ouachita County, LA next.
Showing 3 of 2746 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Sarasota County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (4 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (19.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sarasota County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Sarasota County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 48.8. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Sarasota County have?
Sarasota County, FL has 4 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 1 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Sarasota County's HPSA score of 26.0 mean?
26.0 in dental care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
What healthcare providers are needed in Sarasota County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Sarasota 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: 12115. 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.