KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Clay County, KY
Designation volume is the standout signal for Clay County: 21 active HPSA records, above 95% of real US counties. Population 20,345.
- Active HPSAs
- 21
- Population
- 20,345
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 51.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Clay County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 21 active HPSA designations, more than 95% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 21
- Active HPSA designations
- 7
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 5%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Clay County, KY 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 21.0 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 Clay County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care, 7.2 mental health, 3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Clay County's 21 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 7 dental (denominator 21).
Clay County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Clay 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
2 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, Clay County carries 21 active designations, above 95% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Clay County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 120. 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: 21051. Population: 20,345.
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 21 active (designated) HPSAs in Clay County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Memorial Hospital Red Bird Clinic | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Fci - Manchester | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Clay County | dental | 21.0 |
| Adventhealth Oneida Clinic | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Mountain Family Practice Clinic OF Manchester, Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Physician Services OF Memorial Hospital | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Memorial Hospital Red Bird Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Physician Services OF Memorial Hospital | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Adventhealth Oneida Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates | dental | 19.0 |
| Memorial Hospital Red Bird Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| Mountain Family Practice Clinic OF Manchester, Inc | dental | 19.0 |
| Physician Services OF Memorial Hospital | dental | 19.0 |
| Fci - Manchester | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Mountain Family Practice Clinic OF Manchester, Inc | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Adventhealth Oneida Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Clay County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Cumberland River Mhca | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Fci - Manchester | dental | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Clay County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Clay County: 21 active HPSA records, above 95% of real US counties. Clay County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 21.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 19.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Clay County above 95% of real US counties (21 active designations: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 7 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.
Clay County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 120. 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.
Clay 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
7 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
7 designations
- Dental
Dental
7 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Clay County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Clay County's active designations: about 12 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 Clay County, KY · 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
Clay County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Clay County's 21 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 KY before you draw conclusions from a single score. KY 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Clay County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Clay County (21 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 21 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Clay County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Clay County carries an MUA designation (index 51.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Clay County's 21 active HPSA designations?
- 21 Designated rows (7 primary care, 7 mental health, 7 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "MEMORIAL HOSPITAL RED BIRD CLINIC" (score 21.0; primary care; 12,063 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2006). Also active: "FCI - Manchester", "LI - Clay County", "ADVENTHEALTH ONEIDA CLINIC". Above 95% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Clay County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in primary care and dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 21 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Clay County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "MEMORIAL HOSPITAL RED BIRD CLINIC" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Clay County's designation volume?
- 21 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Clay County's volume compare inside KY?
- 21 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Clay County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 120. Score-nearest counties on this release include Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21051. 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 21051 (Clay County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 21; peak score 21.0; signature 21 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.