LA · Healthcare shortage profile
Catahoula County, LA
Peak severity leads this reading: Catahoula County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 8,906.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 8,906
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 58.5
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Catahoula 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Catahoula County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Catahoula County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
4 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 Catahoula 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 22.0 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.
-
Closing Catahoula County's active designations would take about 3.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care, 0.5 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Catahoula 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).
Catahoula County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Catahoula County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22025. Population: 8,906.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Catahoula County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2 | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2 | dental | 20.0 |
| Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2 | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Catahoula Parish | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Catahoula Parish | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Catahoula Parish | dental | 16.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Catahoula County
Peak severity leads this reading: Catahoula County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Catahoula County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 22.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Catahoula 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.
Catahoula County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 64. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Catahoula County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Catahoula County's active designations: about 3.7 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 Catahoula County, LA · 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 Catahoula County's designations
Catahoula County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Catahoula 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 LA before you draw conclusions from a single score. LA 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 mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Catahoula County's 22.0. Open Jackson County, MO or Montgomery County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Catahoula County's mental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2”).
Jackson County, MO
22.0 mental score · 717,204 pop.
Montgomery County, OH
22.0 mental score · 537,309 pop.
Manatee County, FL
22.0 mental score · 399,710 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
22.0 mental score · 274,534 pop.
Riverside County, CA
22.0 mental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
22.0 mental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Catahoula County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Catahoula County carries an MUA designation (index 58.5; 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 Catahoula County's peak score of 22.0?
- "Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2" leads the active set (score 22.0; mental health; 19,331 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). 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.
- Which other active designations sit under Catahoula County's severity reading?
- After "Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2", the next active names on this release are "Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2", "Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2", "Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2" and "Catahoula Parish". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Catahoula County's high-severity geography?
- Catahoula 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 "Catahoula Parish Hospital District #2".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22025. 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 22025 (Catahoula County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.