KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Simpson County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Simpson County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 19,594.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 19,594
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Simpson County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Simpson County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Simpson County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Simpson 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.
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Closing Simpson 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 primary care, 15 mental health, 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Simpson County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Simpson County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Simpson County falls in the upper half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 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: 21213. Population: 19,594.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Simpson 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Simpson County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-Simpson County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Barren River Mhca | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Simpson County | dental | 17.0 |
| Med Center Health Primary Care Franklin | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Med Center Health Primary Care Franklin | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Med Center Health Primary Care Franklin | dental | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Simpson County
Peak severity leads this reading: Simpson County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Simpson County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 19.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Simpson County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Simpson County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Simpson County falls in the upper half of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 32 of 120. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Simpson 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Simpson County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Simpson 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 Simpson 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 Simpson County's designations
Simpson County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Simpson County's 6 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.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Simpson County's 19.0. Open DuPage County, IL or Denver County, CO next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Simpson County's primary score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Simpson County”).
DuPage County, IL
19.0 primary score · 932,877 pop.
Denver County, CO
19.0 primary score · 715,522 pop.
Ramsey County, MN
19.0 primary score · 552,352 pop.
Knox County, TN
19.0 primary score · 478,971 pop.
Stark County, OH
19.0 primary score · 374,853 pop.
Orange County, CA
19.0 primary score · 3,186,989 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Simpson County's peak score of 19.0?
- "LI-Simpson County" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 1,494 people in the service area; ~2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/17/2022). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Why is Simpson County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Simpson County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Simpson County's severity reading?
- After "LI-Simpson County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Simpson County", "Barren River MHCA", "LI-Simpson County" and "MED CENTER HEALTH PRIMARY CARE FRANKLIN". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~19 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Simpson County's high-severity geography?
- Simpson County's 6 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 "LI-Simpson County".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21213. 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 21213 (Simpson County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.