MN · Healthcare shortage profile
Cottonwood County, MN
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Cottonwood County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 11,517.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 11,517
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 57.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cottonwood 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
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cottonwood County, MN 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 19.0 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 Cottonwood County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care, 19 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Cottonwood 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).
Cottonwood County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Cottonwood 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
5 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.
Cottonwood 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. Cottonwood County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 85. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 27033. Population: 11,517.
Single high-priority discipline
Cottonwood County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 3 active mental health designations to Cottonwood County , with a peak score of 19.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 Cottonwood County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Central Region Mhca | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Sanford Clinic Westbrook | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Sanford Clinic Mountain Lake Rhc | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Sanford Clinic Westbrook | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Sanford Clinic Mountain Lake Rhc | dental | 15.0 |
| Sanford Clinic Westbrook | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Cottonwood County | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Cottonwood County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Sanford Clinic Mountain Lake Rhc | primary_care | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Cottonwood County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Cottonwood County's active designations would take about 20 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Cottonwood County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 19.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Cottonwood 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 19.0. 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.
Cottonwood County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 85. 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 Cottonwood County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 20 FTE across Cottonwood County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Acting on Cottonwood County's high-priority mental health
Cottonwood County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Cottonwood County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of MN before drawing conclusions from a single score. MN overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Cottonwood County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Lake County, IN and Hamilton County, IN.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Cottonwood County's 9
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 9 - the inventory behind the ~20 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Cottonwood County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Cottonwood County carries an MUA designation (index 57.1; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Cottonwood County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~20 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (19). "Southwest Central Region MHCA" is the highest-scored active row (score 19.0; mental health; 52,500 people in the service area; ~19 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/30/2025). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Cottonwood County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Southwest Central Region MHCA", "SANFORD CLINIC WESTBROOK", "SANFORD CLINIC MOUNTAIN LAKE RHC" and "SANFORD CLINIC WESTBROOK". Discipline counts: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental across 9 designated rows.
- Do Cottonwood County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Cottonwood County's FTE burden compare inside MN?
- 9 active designations and ~20 FTE published need. Cottonwood County falls in the upper quarter of MN counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 85. Score-nearest counties on this release include Lake County, IN and Hamilton County, IN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 27033. 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 27033 (Cottonwood County, MN), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 19.0; signature 20 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.