LA · Healthcare shortage profile
Lincoln County, LA
Home to 48,396 residents, with 3 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 48,396
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 60.7
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lincoln 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
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lincoln 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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33.3% of Lincoln 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).
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Closing Lincoln County's active designations would take about 8.9 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.2 primary care, 2.5 mental health, 4.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lincoln County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Lincoln 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: 22061. Population: 48,396.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Lincoln County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Lincoln Parish | dental | 22.0 |
| Lincoln Parish | mental_health | 20.0 |
| LI-Lincoln Parish | primary_care | 18.0 |
Light-burden reading for Lincoln County
Dental care carries Lincoln County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 20.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Lincoln 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.
Lincoln 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.
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lincoln County's active designations: 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County's designations
Lincoln County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lincoln County's 3 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.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Lincoln County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (3 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (18.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lincoln County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Lincoln County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 60.7. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Lincoln County have?
Lincoln County, LA has 3 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 1 in primary care, 1 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Lincoln County's HPSA score of 22.0 mean?
22.0 in dental care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22061. 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.