Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

MO · Healthcare shortage profile

Pemiscot County, MO

Designation volume is the standout signal for Pemiscot County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Population 15,661.

Active HPSAs
15
Population
15,661
Peak shortage score
21.0
MUA Index
31.5

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pemiscot County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

15
Active HPSA designations
5
Primary-care shortages
21
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 9%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pemiscot 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.

  1. Peak HPSA score 21.0 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.

  2. Closing Pemiscot County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7 primary care, 3.7 mental health, 1.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Pemiscot County's 15 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 15).

Pemiscot County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

14 Census ZCTAs intersect Pemiscot 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

6 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, Pemiscot County carries 15 active designations, above 91% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Pemiscot County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 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: 29155. Population: 15,661.

5
Primary Care HPSAs
5
Mental Health HPSAs
5
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 31.5

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 21.0
Mental Health 19.0
Dental 20.0

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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Pemiscot County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Bootheel Primary Care Clinic Caruthersville primary_care 21.0
Pemiscot Primary Care Clinic primary_care 21.0
LI-Dunklin/Pemiscot Counties primary_care 21.0
Pmhs Convenient Care Clinic primary_care 21.0
LI - Pemiscot County dental 20.0
Bootheel Primary Care Clinic-Steele primary_care 19.0
Bootheel Primary Care Clinic-Steele mental_health 19.0
LI - Mhca 19 mental_health 19.0
Bootheel Primary Care Clinic-Steele dental 19.0
Pemiscot Primary Care Clinic mental_health 18.0
Bootheel Primary Care Clinic Caruthersville mental_health 18.0
Pmhs Convenient Care Clinic mental_health 18.0
Bootheel Primary Care Clinic Caruthersville dental 17.0
Pemiscot Primary Care Clinic dental 17.0
Pmhs Convenient Care Clinic dental 17.0

Heavy-burden reading for Pemiscot County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Pemiscot County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Primary care is where Pemiscot County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 21.0 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 19.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 31.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Pemiscot County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 21.0. 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.

Pemiscot County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 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.

Pemiscot County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Pemiscot County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pemiscot County's active designations: about 12 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 Pemiscot 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

Pemiscot County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Pemiscot County's 15 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 Pemiscot County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.

Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

High-volume peers of Pemiscot County (15 active)

One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 15 across the national corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Pemiscot County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Pemiscot County carries an MUA designation (index 31.5; 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 Pemiscot County's 15 active HPSA designations?
15 Designated rows (5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "BOOTHEEL PRIMARY CARE CLINIC CARUTHERSVILLE" (score 21.0; primary care; 51,938 people in the service area; designated 09/18/2020). Also active: "PEMISCOT PRIMARY CARE CLINIC", "LI-Dunklin/Pemiscot Counties", "PMHS CONVENIENT CARE CLINIC". Above 91% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Pemiscot County?
Peak active score 21.0 in primary care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 15 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Pemiscot County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "BOOTHEEL PRIMARY CARE CLINIC CARUTHERSVILLE" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Pemiscot County's designation volume?
15 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 Pemiscot County's volume compare inside MO?
15 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Pemiscot County falls in the upper quarter of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 115. Score-nearest counties on this release include Honolulu County, HI and Montgomery County, TX.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29155. 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 29155 (Pemiscot County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 21.0; signature 15 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.