IN · Healthcare shortage profile
Elkhart County, IN
Home to 207,047 residents, with 9 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 207,047
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Elkhart County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Elkhart County, IN 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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33.3% of Elkhart County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
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Closing Elkhart County's active designations would take about 35 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 14 primary care, 4.5 mental health, 16 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Elkhart County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Elkhart County falls in the upper quarter of IN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 92. 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: 18039. Population: 207,047.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Elkhart County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Heart City Health Center, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Maple City Health Care Center | dental | 21.0 |
| Heart City Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Heart City Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Maple City Health Care Center | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Elkhart County | dental | 16.0 |
| LI-Elkhart County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Mhca 19 - Elkhart County | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Maple City Health Care Center | mental_health | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Elkhart County
Dental care carries Elkhart 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Volume places Elkhart County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Elkhart County falls in the upper quarter of IN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 92. 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.
Elkhart 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
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Elkhart County, IN · 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
Elkhart County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Elkhart County's 9 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 IN before you draw conclusions from a single score. IN 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Elkhart County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pima County, AZ and Shelby County, TN.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Elkhart County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Elkhart County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is not available. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Elkhart County have?
Elkhart County, IN has 9 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 3 in primary care, 3 in mental health, and 3 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Elkhart County's HPSA score of 25.0 mean?
25.0 in dental care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
What healthcare providers are needed in Elkhart County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Elkhart County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Which federal programs do Elkhart County's designations unlock?
Elkhart County's 9 active designations open NHSC placement, Community Health Center grants, the Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, but eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not the county line.
How does Elkhart County compare to other counties in IN?
Elkhart County has 9 total HPSA designations with a peak shortage score of 25.0. You can compare shortage levels across all counties in IN on the state overview page, or view national county rankings to see where Elkhart County stands relative to the rest of the country. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pima County, AZ and Shelby County, TN.
Learn More About Healthcare Shortages
Explore more IN shortage data
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 18039. 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.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the HRSA Data Warehouse. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →
Every figure on PlainHealthAccess is rendered directly from HRSA source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page counts active HPSA rows for FIPS 18039 (Elkhart County, IN) from the current HRSA release and places that total among all real US counties. Designations describe federal shortage criteria, not appointment availability or care quality for any person. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, review the public data changelog, or report a data issue for this page. Data current as of 2026-08-15.