KS · Healthcare shortage profile
Douglas County, KS
Peak severity leads this reading: Douglas County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 118,785.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 118,785
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 47.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Douglas County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Douglas County, KS 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 Douglas County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 10 primary care, 6.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Douglas County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 8).
Douglas County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 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
4 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, Douglas County carries 8 active designations, above 73% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Douglas County falls in the upper quarter of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 105. 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: 20045. Population: 118,785.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Douglas County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc. | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Haskell Indian Health Center | dental | 18.0 |
| Haskell Indian Health Center | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Douglas County | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Douglas County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Haskell Indian Health Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Douglas County
Peak severity leads this reading: Douglas County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Douglas 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 47.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Douglas County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. 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.
Douglas County falls in the upper quarter of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 105. 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.
Douglas 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
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Douglas County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Douglas 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 Douglas County, KS · 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
Douglas County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Douglas County's 8 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 KS before you draw conclusions from a single score. KS 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 Douglas County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Spartanburg County, SC and McLennan County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Douglas 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 “Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc.”).
Spartanburg County, SC
23.0 dental score · 327,997 pop.
McLennan County, TX
23.0 dental score · 260,579 pop.
Beaufort County, SC
23.0 dental score · 187,117 pop.
Portage County, OH
23.0 dental score · 161,791 pop.
Caguas County, PR
23.0 dental score · 127,244 pop.
Kent County, MI
23.0 dental score · 657,974 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Douglas County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Douglas County carries an MUA designation (index 47.6; 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 Douglas County's peak score of 23.0?
- "Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc." leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 33,002 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Douglas County's severity reading?
- After "Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc.", the next active names on this release are "Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc.", "Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc.", "Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc." and "Haskell Indian Health Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~17 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Douglas County's high-severity geography?
- Douglas County's 8 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 "Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc.".
- How does Douglas County's peak severity sit inside KS?
- Douglas County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Douglas County falls in the upper quarter of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 105. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Spartanburg County, SC and McLennan County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20045. 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 20045 (Douglas County, KS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.