ID · Healthcare shortage profile
Kootenai County, ID
Peak severity leads this reading: Kootenai County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 171,362.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 171,362
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 60.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Kootenai County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Kootenai 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 23.0 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 Kootenai County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.7 primary care, 10 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Kootenai County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 6).
Kootenai County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Kootenai County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
5 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, Kootenai County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Kootenai County falls in the upper half of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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: 16055. Population: 171,362.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Kootenai County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dirne Community Health Center | dental | 23.0 |
| Dirne Community Health Center | mental_health | 20.0 |
| District 1 - Panhandle Mental Health Catchment Area | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Dirne Community Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Post Falls/Rathdrum SA | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI-Worley/Harrison SA | primary_care | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Kootenai County
Peak severity leads this reading: Kootenai County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Kootenai County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Kootenai County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (3/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Kootenai County falls in the upper half of ID counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 44. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Kootenai 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental 1
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Kootenai County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Kootenai County's active designations: about 17 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 Kootenai County, ID · 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 Kootenai County's designations
Kootenai County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Kootenai County's 6 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 ID before you draw conclusions from a single score. ID 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 Kootenai County's 23.0. Open Kern County, CA or Prince William County, VA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Kootenai County's dental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER”).
Kern County, CA
23.0 dental score · 909,235 pop.
Prince William County, VA
23.0 dental score · 482,204 pop.
Rutherford County, TN
23.0 dental score · 341,486 pop.
San Luis Obispo County, CA
23.0 dental score · 282,424 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
23.0 dental score · 216,785 pop.
Ector County, TX
23.0 dental score · 165,171 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Kootenai County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Kootenai County carries an MUA designation (index 60.0; 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 Kootenai County's peak score of 23.0?
- "DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 43,212 people in the service area; designated 01/01/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Kootenai County's severity reading?
- After "DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "District 1 - Panhandle Mental Health Catchment Area" and "DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~17 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Kootenai County's high-severity geography?
- Kootenai County's 6 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 "DIRNE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 16055. 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 16055 (Kootenai County, ID), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.