Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

LA · Healthcare shortage profile

Sabine County, LA

Peak severity leads this reading: Sabine County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 22,155.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
22,155
Peak shortage score
21.0
MUA Index
56.1

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sabine 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
21
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Sabine 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. Peak HPSA score 21.0 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.

  2. Closing Sabine 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): 3.4 primary care, 1.5 mental health, 4.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Sabine 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).

Sabine County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

12 Census ZCTAs intersect Sabine 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

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.

Sabine 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

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Sabine 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: 22085. Population: 22,155.

2
Mental Health HPSAs
2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.1

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 20.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 20.0

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 Sabine County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Sabine Parish mental_health 21.0
Zwolle Rural Clinic primary_care 20.0
Zwolle Rural Clinic mental_health 20.0
Zwolle Rural Clinic dental 20.0
Sabine Parish dental 20.0
Sabine Parish primary_care 16.0

Moderate-burden reading for Sabine County

Peak severity leads this reading: Sabine County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Sabine County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 20.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Sabine 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.

Sabine 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 Sabine County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Sabine County's active designations: about 8.9 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 Sabine 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 Sabine County's designations

Sabine County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Sabine 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 Sabine County's 21.0. Open Pinellas County, FL or Ocean County, NJ next.

Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Sabine County's mental score of 21.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “Sabine Parish”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sabine County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Sabine County carries an MUA designation (index 56.1; 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 Sabine County's peak score of 21.0?
"Sabine Parish" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 21,721 people in the service area; ~1.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 08/24/1979). 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 Sabine County's severity reading?
After "Sabine Parish", the next active names on this release are "Sabine Parish", "ZWOLLE RURAL CLINIC", "ZWOLLE RURAL CLINIC" and "ZWOLLE RURAL CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Sabine County's high-severity geography?
Sabine 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 "Sabine Parish".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22085. 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 22085 (Sabine County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.