Medically Underserved Area High-priority · primary care only

IA · Healthcare shortage profile

Buena Vista County, IA

Peak severity leads this reading: Buena Vista County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 20,823.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
20,823
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
MUA
IA state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Buena Vista 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
2
Primary-care shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Buena Vista County, IA 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. 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.

  2. Closing Buena Vista County's active designations would take about 2.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.5 primary care, 0.4 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Buena Vista County's 6 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).

Buena Vista County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

14 Census ZCTAs intersect Buena Vista 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

6 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.

Buena Vista County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

6 Top 46% higher than 54% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Buena Vista County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 99. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 19021. Population: 20,823.

Single high-priority discipline

Buena Vista County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is primary care

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active primary care designations to Buena Vista County , with a peak score of 18.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the primary care records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 18.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 15.0

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 Buena Vista County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
United Community Health Center, Inc. primary_care 18.0
United Community Health Center, Inc. mental_health 16.0
LI - Buena Vista County mental_health 16.0
United Community Health Center, Inc. dental 15.0
LI - Buena Vista County primary_care 14.0
LI - Buena Vista dental 9.0

Moderate-burden reading for Buena Vista County

Peak severity leads this reading: Buena Vista County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Buena Vista County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 18.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.

Buena Vista 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 (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Buena Vista County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 99. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Buena Vista County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Buena Vista County's active designations: about 2.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Acting on Buena Vista County's high-priority primary care

Buena Vista County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Buena Vista County's high-priority primary care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's primary care burden compares with the rest of IA before drawing conclusions from a single score. IA 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.

Nearby primary-care score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Buena Vista County's 18.0. Open Whatcom County, WA or Pitt County, NC next.

Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Whatcom County, WA

18.0 score 226,847 pop.

Pitt County, NC

18.0 score 170,243 pop.

Rock Island County, IL

18.0 score 144,672 pop.

Counties near Buena Vista County's primary score of 18.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.”).

Whatcom County, WA

18.0 primary score · 226,847 pop.

Pitt County, NC

18.0 primary score · 170,243 pop.

Rock Island County, IL

18.0 primary score · 144,672 pop.

Ventura County, CA

18.0 primary score · 843,843 pop.

Douglas County, NE

18.0 primary score · 584,526 pop.

Lane County, OR

18.0 primary score · 382,971 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Buena Vista County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Buena Vista County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
Which record sets Buena Vista County's peak score of 18.0?
"UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC." leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 5,622 people in the service area; designated 01/01/2006). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Buena Vista County's severity reading?
After "UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", the next active names on this release are "UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.", "LI - Buena Vista County" and "UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Buena Vista County's high-severity geography?
Buena Vista 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 "UNITED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC.".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19021. 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 19021 (Buena Vista County, IA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.