Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

LA · Healthcare shortage profile

Cameron County, LA

Peak severity leads this reading: Cameron County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,617.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
5,617
Peak shortage score
13.0
MUA Index
51.2

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cameron County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Mental-health shortages
13
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume
B-
Healthcare Access Score
69/100
Cameron County, LA

Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.

Primary care A+
11.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health A+
13.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental A+
12.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status F
IMU 51.2
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap D
3.6 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Cameron County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Cameron County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

3 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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cameron County, LA 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.

  1. Closing Cameron County's active designations would take about 2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.5 primary care, 0.3 mental health, 1.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 33.3% of Cameron County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

  3. Peak HPSA score 13.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cameron County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.

State peer position. Cameron County falls in the lower half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 44 of 64. 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: 22023. Population: 5,617.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 51.2

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 11.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 13.0 Below priority line
Dental 12.0 Below priority line

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Cameron County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Cameron Parish mental_health 13.0
Cameron Parish dental 12.0
Cameron Parish primary_care 11.0

Light-burden reading for Cameron County

Peak severity leads this reading: Cameron County's highest active HPSA score is 13.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Cameron County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 13.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 11.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Cameron County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% 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.

Cameron County falls in the lower half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 44 of 64. 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 Cameron County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cameron County's active designations: about 2 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Cameron County's mental score of 13.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 13.0 (severity lead on this page is “Cameron Parish”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Cameron County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Cameron County carries an MUA designation (index 51.2; 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 Cameron County's peak score of 13.0?
"Cameron Parish" leads the active set (score 13.0; mental health; 5,178 people in the service area; ~0.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/05/1987). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Cameron County's severity reading?
After "Cameron Parish", the next active names on this release are "Cameron Parish" and "CAMERON PARISH". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22023. 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 22023 (Cameron County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 13.0; signature peak score 13.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.