LA · Healthcare shortage profile
De Soto County, LA
Peak severity leads this reading: De Soto County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 26,812.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 26,812
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 54.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, De Soto 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for De Soto 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.
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Peak HPSA score 20.0 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 De Soto County's active designations would take about 7.8 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.5 primary care, 0.8 mental health, 2.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of De Soto 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).
De Soto County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect De Soto County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
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.
De Soto County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. De Soto County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22031. Population: 26,812.
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 De Soto County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Desoto Parish | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Desoto Regional Family Medicine - Logansport | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Desoto Regional Family Medicine - Mansfield | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Desoto Regional Family Medicine - Mansfield | dental | 19.0 |
| Desoto Regional Family Medicine - Mansfield | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Desoto Regional Family Medicine - Logansport | mental_health | 18.0 |
| De Soto Parish | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Desoto Regional Family Medicine - Logansport | dental | 17.0 |
| De Soto Parish | dental | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for De Soto County
Peak severity leads this reading: De Soto County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. De Soto County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 20.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Dental care reads 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places De Soto 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 20.0. 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.
De Soto County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in De Soto County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for De Soto County's active designations: about 7.8 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 De Soto 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 a heavy-burden county
De Soto County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- De Soto 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 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.
Counties With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to De Soto County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Buncombe County, NC and Mohave County, AZ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near De Soto County's mental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Desoto Parish”).
Buncombe County, NC
20.0 mental score · 269,452 pop.
Mohave County, AZ
20.0 mental score · 213,267 pop.
Portage County, OH
20.0 mental score · 161,791 pop.
Washington County, TN
20.0 mental score · 133,001 pop.
Fort Bend County, TX
20.0 mental score · 822,779 pop.
Onondaga County, NY
20.0 mental score · 476,516 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does De Soto County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - De Soto County carries an MUA designation (index 54.6; 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 De Soto County's peak score of 20.0?
- "LI - Desoto Parish" leads the active set (score 20.0; mental health; 11,799 people in the service area; ~0.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/18/2024). 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 De Soto County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Desoto Parish", the next active names on this release are "LI - Desoto Parish", "DESOTO REGIONAL FAMILY MEDICINE - LOGANSPORT", "DESOTO REGIONAL FAMILY MEDICINE - MANSFIELD" and "DESOTO REGIONAL FAMILY MEDICINE - MANSFIELD". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow De Soto County's high-severity geography?
- De Soto 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 "LI - Desoto Parish".
- How does De Soto County's peak severity sit inside LA?
- De Soto County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. De Soto County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Buncombe County, NC and Mohave County, AZ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22031. 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 22031 (De Soto County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.