FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Union County, FL
Peak severity leads this reading: Union County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 16,147.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 16,147
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 57.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Union County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Union 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 20.0 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.
-
Closing Union 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): 2.6 primary care, 4.8 mental health, 3.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Union County's 8 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 8).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Union County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Union 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.
Union County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. Union County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 34 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 12125. Population: 16,147.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Union County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Bradford/Union Counties | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI - Union County | dental | 18.0 |
| LI - Union County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| CF-Reception and Medical Center - Main/West/Work Camp | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Union Correctional Institution/Work Camp | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF-Union Correctional Institution/Work Camp | mental_health | 6.0 |
| CF-Union Correctional Institution/Work Camp | dental | 3.0 |
| Reception and Medical Center | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Union County
Peak severity leads this reading: Union County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Union County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 20.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Union County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Union County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 34 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.
Union 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
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Union County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Union County's active designations: about 11 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 Union 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
Union County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Union County's 8 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Union County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Volusia County, FL and Brazoria County, TX.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Union County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Union County carries an MUA designation (index 57.8; 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 Union County's peak score of 20.0?
- "LI - Bradford/Union Counties" leads the active set (score 20.0; mental health; 13,877 people in the service area; ~0.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/23/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Union County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Bradford/Union Counties", the next active names on this release are "LI - Bradford/Union Counties", "LI - Union County", "CF-Reception and Medical Center - Main/West/Work Camp" and "CF-Union Correctional Institution/Work Camp". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Union County's high-severity geography?
- Union County's 8 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 "LI - Bradford/Union Counties".
- How does Union County's peak severity sit inside FL?
- Union County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. Union County falls in the lower half of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 34 of 67. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Volusia County, FL and Brazoria County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12125. 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 12125 (Union County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.