KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Wayne County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Wayne County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 19,555.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 19,555
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 52.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wayne County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Wayne 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 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 Wayne County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.4 primary care, 9.9 mental health, 1.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Wayne County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Wayne County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Wayne 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Wayne County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Wayne County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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: 21231. Population: 19,555.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Wayne County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Monticello Medical Associates, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Faith Healthcare Inc | dental | 21.0 |
| Monticello Medical Associates, Inc. | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Monticello Medical Associates, Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Faith Healthcare Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Wayne County | dental | 19.0 |
| Lake Cumberland Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Faith Healthcare Inc | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Wayne County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Wayne County
Peak severity leads this reading: Wayne County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Wayne 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Wayne County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 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.
Wayne County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 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.
Wayne 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
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Wayne County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Wayne County's active designations: about 13 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 Wayne 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
Wayne County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Wayne County's 9 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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 “MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, 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 Wayne County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Wayne County carries an MUA designation (index 52.0; 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 Wayne County's peak score of 23.0?
- "MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC." leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 64,545 people in the service area; designated 04/22/2021). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Wayne County's severity reading?
- After "MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC.", the next active names on this release are "MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC.", "FAITH HEALTHCARE INC", "MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC." and "MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Wayne County's high-severity geography?
- Wayne County's 9 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 "MONTICELLO MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC.".
- How does Wayne County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Wayne County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Wayne County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. 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: 21231. 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 21231 (Wayne County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.