KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Whitley County, KY
Designation volume is the standout signal for Whitley County: 24 active HPSA records, above 96% of real US counties. Population 36,712.
- Active HPSAs
- 24
- Population
- 36,712
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 58.4
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Whitley County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 24 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 24
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Whitley 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 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 Whitley County's active designations would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.6 primary care, 6.6 mental health, 4.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Whitley County's 24 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 24).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Whitley County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Whitley County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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, Whitley County carries 24 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Whitley County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 120 real counties in KY. 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: 21235. Population: 36,712.
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 24 active (designated) HPSAs in Whitley County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Grace Community Health Center | dental | 23.0 |
| Grace Community Health Center | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Grace Community Health Center | mental_health | 22.0 |
| HO Physicians Services Corporation | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Hope Primary & Urgent Care OF Williamsburg | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Corbin Family Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI-Whitley County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 9 | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Williamsburg Family Medicine Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Bryant Family Medicine | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Corbin Family Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| HO Physicians Services Corporation | mental_health | 19.0 |
| HO Physicians Services Corporation | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Whitley County | dental | 19.0 |
| Bryant Family Medicine | dental | 19.0 |
| Corbin Family Health Center | dental | 19.0 |
| Hope Primary & Urgent Care OF Williamsburg | dental | 19.0 |
| Williamsburg Family Medicine Center | dental | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 9 | dental | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 9 | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Bryant Family Medicine | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Williamsburg Family Medicine Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Hope Primary & Urgent Care OF Williamsburg | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cumberland River Mhca | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Whitley County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Whitley County: 24 active HPSA records, above 96% of real US counties. Dental care carries Whitley 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Whitley County above 96% of real US counties (24 active designations: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 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.
Whitley County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 120 real counties in KY. 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.
Whitley 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
8 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Whitley County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Whitley County's active designations: about 15 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 Whitley 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
Whitley County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Whitley County's 24 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 Whitley County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Whitley County (24 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 24 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Whitley County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Whitley County carries an MUA designation (index 58.4; 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 Whitley County's 24 active HPSA designations?
- 24 Designated rows (8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "GRACE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" (score 23.0; dental; 58,597 people in the service area; designated 06/01/2008). Also active: "GRACE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "GRACE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER", "HO PHYSICIANS SERVICES CORPORATION". Above 96% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Whitley County?
- Peak active score 23.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 24 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Whitley County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 15 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "GRACE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Whitley County's designation volume?
- 24 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 Whitley County's volume compare inside KY?
- 24 active HPSA rows · peak 23.0. Whitley County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 120 real counties in KY. Score-nearest counties on this release include Kern County, CA and Prince William County, VA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21235. 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 21235 (Whitley County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 24; peak score 23.0; signature 24 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.