Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

IA · Healthcare shortage profile

Chickasaw County, IA

Home to 12,012 residents, with 5 active HRSA shortage designations.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
12,012
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
57.0
IA state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Chickasaw County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

5
Active HPSA designations
2
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Chickasaw 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. 40% of Chickasaw County's 5 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).

  2. Closing Chickasaw County's active designations would take about 3.6 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 3.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Chickasaw County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Chickasaw County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 99. 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: 19037. Population: 12,012.

Below high-priority line

Chickasaw County is designated, but no active score clears 17

5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 57.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Chickasaw County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Northeast Iowa Area mental_health 16.0
Nashua Clinic mental_health 16.0
Nashua Clinic primary_care 15.0
Nashua Clinic dental 15.0
Chickasaw County primary_care 7.0

Moderate-burden reading for Chickasaw County

Chickasaw County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Chickasaw County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Chickasaw County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 99. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Clinician FTE gap by care type

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

Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles

Two peer sets for Chickasaw County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Chickasaw County a Medically Underserved Area?

Yes, Chickasaw County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 57.0. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.

How many healthcare shortage areas does Chickasaw County have?

Chickasaw County, IA has 5 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.

What does Chickasaw County's HPSA score of 16.0 mean?

16.0 in mental health falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.

What healthcare providers are needed in Chickasaw County?

Based on HRSA shortage designations, Chickasaw 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.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19037. 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.