GA · Healthcare shortage profile
Clarke County, GA
Peak severity leads this reading: Clarke County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 128,671.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 128,671
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 60.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Clarke 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
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Clarke County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Clarke County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
4 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Clarke County, GA 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 25.0 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 Clarke County's active designations would take about 27 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 15 primary care, 13 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
40% of Clarke 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Clarke County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Clarke County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 159. 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: 13059. Population: 128,671.
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 Clarke County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Athens Model Neighborhood Health Center Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Athens Model Neighborhood Health Center Inc | mental_health | 24.0 |
| Athens Model Neighborhood Health Center Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Clarke County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Mhca 10-Advantage Behavioral Health Systems | mental_health | 8.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Clarke County
Peak severity leads this reading: Clarke County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Clarke County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 24.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Clarke 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.
Clarke County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 159. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Clarke County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Clarke County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Clarke County's active designations: about 27 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 Clarke County, GA · 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 Clarke County's designations
Clarke County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Clarke County's 5 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 primary care burden compares with the rest of GA before you draw conclusions from a single score. GA 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 Clarke County's 25.0. Open Wayne County, MI or Travis County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Clarke County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Clarke County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Clarke County carries an MUA designation (index 60.8; 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 Clarke County's peak score of 25.0?
- "ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 54,061 people in the service area; designated 09/07/2010). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Clarke County's severity reading?
- After "ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC", the next active names on this release are "ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC", "ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC", "ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC" and "LI - Clarke County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~27 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Clarke County's high-severity geography?
- Clarke County's 5 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 "ATHENS MODEL NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 13059. 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 13059 (Clarke County, GA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.