Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

ID · Healthcare shortage profile

Gem County, ID

Peak severity leads this reading: Gem County's highest active HPSA score is 12.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 19,123.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
19,123
Peak shortage score
12.0
MUA Index
53.8
ID state overview → About this data

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Gem County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
2
Primary-care shortages
12
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume
B
Healthcare Access Score
70/100
Gem County, ID

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.

Primary care A
12.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health A+
8.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A+
No active shortage
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status D
IMU 53.8
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap F
4.7 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Gem County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Gem County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

2 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 Gem County, ID 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.

  1. Closing Gem County's active designations would take about 9 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.7 primary care, 7.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 66.7% of Gem County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 3).

  3. Peak HPSA score 12.0 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, Gem County carries 3 active designations, above 20% 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. Gem County falls in the lower half of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 44. 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: 16045. Population: 19,123.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 53.8

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 12.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 8.0 Below priority line

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Gem County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Southeast Emmet primary_care 12.0
LI-Emmett Bench-Sweet Ccd primary_care 9.0
District 3 - Southwest Mental Health Catchment Area mental_health 8.0

Light-burden reading for Gem County

Peak severity leads this reading: Gem County's highest active HPSA score is 12.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Gem County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 12.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Mental health reads 8.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Gem County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.

Gem County falls in the lower half of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 44. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Gem County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Gem County's active designations: about 9 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Gem County's primary score of 12.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 12.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Southeast Emmet”).

Jefferson County, WV

12.0 primary score · 57,701 pop.

Burlington County, NJ

12.0 primary score · 461,860 pop.

Union County, NC

12.0 primary score · 238,267 pop.

Dorchester County, SC

12.0 primary score · 161,540 pop.

Wilson County, TN

12.0 primary score · 147,737 pop.

Fond du Lac County, WI

12.0 primary score · 104,154 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Gem County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Gem County carries an MUA designation (index 53.8; 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 Gem County's peak score of 12.0?
"LI-Southeast Emmet" leads the active set (score 12.0; primary care; 475 people in the service area; ~1.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 06/23/2026). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Gem County's severity reading?
After "LI-Southeast Emmet", the next active names on this release are "LI-Southeast Emmet", "LI-Emmett Bench-Sweet CCD" and "District 3 - Southwest Mental Health Catchment Area". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 16045. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 16045 (Gem County, ID), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 12.0; signature peak score 12.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.