MO · Healthcare shortage profile
Christian County, MO
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Christian County's active designations would take about 17 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 88,842.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 88,842
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 60.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Christian 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Christian County
Christian County intersects 21 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
9 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Christian County, MO 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.
-
Closing Christian County's active designations would take about 17 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.8 primary care, 13 mental health, 0.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Christian 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).
-
Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Christian County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Christian County falls in the lower half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 58 of 115. 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: 29043. Population: 88,842.
Below high-priority line
Christian County is designated, but no active score clears 17
6 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 Christian County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Och Sparta Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Springfield | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Och Sparta Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Och Sparta Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Christian County | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Christian County | dental | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Christian County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Christian County's active designations would take about 17 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Christian County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Christian 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.
Christian County falls in the lower half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 58 of 115. 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 Christian County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 17 FTE across Christian County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Counties with a matching designation count to Christian County's 6
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 6 - the inventory behind the ~17 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Christian County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Christian County carries an MUA designation (index 60.9; 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 Christian County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~17 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (13). "OCH SPARTA CLINIC" is the highest-scored active row (score 16.0; primary care; 106,669 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Christian County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "OCH SPARTA CLINIC", "LI - Springfield", "OCH SPARTA CLINIC" and "OCH SPARTA CLINIC". Discipline counts: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental across 6 designated rows.
- Do Christian 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.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29043. 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 29043 (Christian County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 16.0; signature 17 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.