MO · Healthcare shortage profile
Iron County, MO
Home to 9,537 residents, with 6 active HRSA shortage designations.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 9,537
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 49.2
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Iron 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
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Iron 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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33.3% of Iron 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).
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Closing Iron County's active designations would take about 10 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.8 primary care, 5 mental health, 2.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Iron 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. Iron 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: 29093. Population: 9,537.
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 Iron County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Iron County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Iron County Hospital Family Care Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Iron County Hospital Family Care Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI - Mhca 17A/B | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Iron County Hospital Family Care Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Washington and Iron Counties | dental | 13.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Iron County
Primary care is where Iron County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 19.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Iron 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.
Iron 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.
Iron 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
Clinician FTE gap by care type
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Iron County's active designations: 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 Iron 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 Iron County's designations
Iron County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Iron 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 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.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Iron County's 19.0. Open Lee County, FL or Pasco County, FL next.
Showing 3 of 2934 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Nationwide counties with similar HRSA profiles
Two peer sets for Iron County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (6 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (19.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Iron County a Medically Underserved Area?
Yes, Iron County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 49.2. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
How many healthcare shortage areas does Iron County have?
Iron County, MO has 6 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 2 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
What does Iron County's HPSA score of 19.0 mean?
19.0 in primary care clears 17, HRSA's high-priority line, which is what makes providers here eligible for NHSC placement and enhanced reimbursement.
What healthcare providers are needed in Iron County?
Based on HRSA shortage designations, Iron County needs additional providers in primary care (family physicians, internists, pediatricians), mental health (psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers), and dental care (dentists, dental hygienists). The National Health Service Corps offers loan repayment and scholarship programs for providers who serve in designated shortage areas.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29093. 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.