MD · Healthcare shortage profile
Garrett County, MD
Peak severity leads this reading: Garrett County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,806.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 28,806
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 42.4
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Garrett 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
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Garrett County, MD 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 Garrett County's active designations would take about 6.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.4 primary care, 1.2 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Garrett 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).
Garrett County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Garrett 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Garrett County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Garrett County falls in the upper half of MD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 23. 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: 24023. Population: 28,806.
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 Garrett County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Western Maryland Health Care Corporation | dental | 20.0 |
| Western Maryland Health Care Corporation | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Western Maryland Health Care Corporation | mental_health | 18.0 |
| ME - Garrett County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Garrett County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| ME - Garrett County | dental | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Garrett County
Peak severity leads this reading: Garrett County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Garrett County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 42.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Garrett 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.
Garrett County falls in the upper half of MD counties by active-designation volume, at rank 6 of 23. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Garrett County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Garrett County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Garrett County's active designations: about 6.2 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 Garrett County, MD · 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 Garrett County's designations
Garrett County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Garrett 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 MD before you draw conclusions from a single score. MD 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Garrett County's 20.0. Open Tehama County, CA or Darke County, OH next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Garrett County's dental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION”).
Tehama County, CA
20.0 dental score · 65,829 pop.
Darke County, OH
20.0 dental score · 51,881 pop.
Calaveras County, CA
20.0 dental score · 45,292 pop.
Plymouth County, MA
20.0 dental score · 530,819 pop.
Deschutes County, OR
20.0 dental score · 198,253 pop.
Tuscarawas County, OH
20.0 dental score · 93,263 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Garrett County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Garrett County carries an MUA designation (index 42.4; 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 Garrett County's peak score of 20.0?
- "WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION" leads the active set (score 20.0; dental; 17,580 people in the service area; designated 02/28/2006). 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 Garrett County's severity reading?
- After "WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION", the next active names on this release are "WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION", "WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION", "WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION" and "ME - Garrett County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Garrett County's high-severity geography?
- Garrett 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 "WESTERN MARYLAND HEALTH CARE CORPORATION".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 24023. 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 24023 (Garrett County, MD), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.