MO · Healthcare shortage profile
Dent County, MO
Designation volume is the standout signal for Dent County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Population 14,421.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 14,421
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 53.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Dent County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Dent 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.
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Peak HPSA score 17.0 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 Dent County's active designations would take about 8.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 5 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Dent County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Dent County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Dent County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
3 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, Dent County carries 12 active designations, above 85% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Dent County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 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: 29065. Population: 14,421.
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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Dent County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mercy Clinic - Salem | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Phelps Health Medical Group Salem | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Smdh Family Medicine | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Mhca 17A/B | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Phelps Health Medical Group Salem | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Smdh Family Medicine | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Mercy Clinic - Salem | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Mercy Clinic - Salem | dental | 17.0 |
| Phelps Health Medical Group Salem | dental | 17.0 |
| Smdh Family Medicine | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Dent County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Dent County | dental | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Dent County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Dent County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Dent County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Dent County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 17.0. 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.
Dent County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 115. 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.
Dent 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
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
4 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Dent County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Dent County's active designations: about 8.3 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 Dent County, MO · 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 a heavy-burden county
Dent County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Dent County's 12 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 MO before you draw conclusions from a single score. MO 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.
Counties With a Similar Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Dent County's 17.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Bell County, TX and Dauphin County, PA.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Dent County (12 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Dent County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Dent County carries an MUA designation (index 53.7; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Dent County's 12 active HPSA designations?
- 12 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "MERCY CLINIC - SALEM" (score 17.0; primary care; 33,421 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Also active: "PHELPS HEALTH MEDICAL GROUP SALEM", "SMDH FAMILY MEDICINE", "LI - MHCA 17A/B". Above 85% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Dent County?
- Peak active score 17.0 in primary care and mental health and dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 12 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Dent County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 8.3 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "MERCY CLINIC - SALEM" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Dent County's designation volume?
- 12 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Dent County's volume compare inside MO?
- 12 active HPSA rows · peak 17.0. Dent County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 115. Score-nearest counties on this release include Bell County, TX and Dauphin County, PA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29065. 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 29065 (Dent County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 17.0; signature 12 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.