KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Shelby County, KY
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Shelby County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 48,065.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 48,065
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- -
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Shelby County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Shelby 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.
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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.
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Closing Shelby County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 primary care, 19 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Shelby County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 2).
Shelby County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Shelby 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.
Shelby County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
2 Top 90% higher than 10% of 3,289 real US counties
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. Shelby County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 114 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21211. Population: 48,065.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Shelby County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Shelby County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Centerstone Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Shelby County West | primary_care | 14.0 |
Light-burden reading for Shelby County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Shelby County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Shelby County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Shelby County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Shelby County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Shelby County falls in the lower half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 114 of 120. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Shelby County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 20 FTE across Shelby County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Shelby County's high-priority mental health
Shelby County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Shelby County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of KY before drawing conclusions from a single score. KY 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.
Counties with a matching designation count to Shelby County's 2
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 2 - the inventory behind the ~20 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Shelby County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~20 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (19). "LI-Centerstone MHCA" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 3,600 people in the service area; ~19 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/07/2024). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is Shelby County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Shelby County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive Shelby County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI-Centerstone MHCA" and "LI-Shelby County West". Discipline counts: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental across 2 designated rows.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21211. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 21211 (Shelby County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 18.0; signature 20 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.