IL · Healthcare shortage profile
Douglas County, IL
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Douglas County's active designations would take about 38 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 19,740.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 19,740
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Douglas 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
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Douglas County, IL 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 18.0 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 Douglas County's active designations would take about 38 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.1 primary care, 35 mental health, 0.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Douglas County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
Douglas County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Douglas 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.
Douglas County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
3 Top 80% higher than 20% 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. Douglas County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 65 of 102. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 17041. Population: 19,740.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Douglas County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Douglas County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI Central Area Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
| ME - Douglas County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| ME - Douglas County | dental | 4.0 |
Light-burden reading for Douglas County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Douglas County's active designations would take about 38 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Douglas County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 4.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Douglas County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Douglas 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.
Douglas County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 65 of 102. 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 Douglas County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 38 FTE across Douglas County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Douglas County's high-priority mental health
Douglas County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Douglas County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of IL before drawing conclusions from a single score. IL overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 matching designation count to Douglas County's 3
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 3 - the inventory behind the ~38 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Douglas County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~38 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (35). "LI Central Area MHCA" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 145,836 people in the service area; ~35 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/18/2026). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is Douglas County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Douglas County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive Douglas County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI Central Area MHCA", "ME - Douglas County" and "ME - Douglas County". Discipline counts: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental across 3 designated rows.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 17041. 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 17041 (Douglas County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 18.0; signature 38 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.