KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Hart County, KY
Designation volume is the standout signal for Hart County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Population 19,288.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 19,288
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 58.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hart County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Dental shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hart 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 19.0 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.
-
Closing Hart County's active designations would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.6 primary care, 15 mental health, 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Hart County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Hart County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Hart 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, Hart County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Hart County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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: 21099. Population: 19,288.
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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Hart County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Hart County | dental | 19.0 |
| Caverna Primary Care Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Med Center Health Primary Care Munfordsville | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Caverna Primary Care Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Barren River Mhca | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Med Center Health Primary Care Munfordsville | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Family Medical Center OF Hart County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Med Center Health Primary Care Munfordsville | dental | 17.0 |
| Family Medical Center OF Hart County | dental | 17.0 |
| Caverna Primary Care Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Family Medical Center OF Hart County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Hart County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Hart County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Hart County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Dental care carries Hart County's deepest shortage reading, 19.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Hart County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 19.0. 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.
Hart County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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.
Hart 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
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Hart County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hart County's active designations: about 19 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 Hart 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
Hart County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hart County's 12 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Hart County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Scott County, MN and Lafourche County, LA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Hart County (12 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hart County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hart County carries an MUA designation (index 58.0; 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 Hart County's 12 active HPSA designations?
- 12 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "LI-Hart County" (score 19.0; dental; 1,280 people in the service area; ~1.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/04/2026). Also active: "CAVERNA PRIMARY CARE CLINIC", "MED CENTER HEALTH PRIMARY CARE MUNFORDSVILLE", "CAVERNA PRIMARY CARE CLINIC". Above 85% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Hart County?
- Peak active score 19.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 12 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Hart County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 19 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "LI-Hart County" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Hart County's designation volume?
- 12 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 Hart County's volume compare inside KY?
- 12 active HPSA rows · peak 19.0. Hart County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 120. Score-nearest counties on this release include Scott County, MN and Lafourche County, LA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21099. 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 21099 (Hart County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 19.0; signature 12 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.