MO · Healthcare shortage profile
St. Francois County, MO
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing St. Francois County's active designations would take about 28 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 66,922.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 66,922
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, St. Francois County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for St. Francois 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 18.0 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 St. Francois County's active designations would take about 28 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 13 primary care, 6.3 mental health, 8.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of St. Francois County's 10 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).
St. Francois County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect St. Francois 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
7 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, St. Francois County carries 10 active designations, above 83% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. St. Francois County falls in the upper half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 40 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: 29187. Population: 66,922.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers St. Francois County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 10 active (designated) HPSAs in St. Francois County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI-St. Francois County | dental | 18.0 |
| LI-St. Francois/Ste. Genevieve Counties | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Parkland Health Center Medical Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI - Mhca 17A/B | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Parkland Health Center Medical Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Parkland Health Center Medical Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Eastern Reception, Diagnostic Correctional Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center - Dmh | mental_health | 8.0 |
| Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center | mental_health | 6.0 |
| Eastern Reception, Diagnostic Correctional Center | dental | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for St. Francois County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing St. Francois County's active designations would take about 28 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries St. Francois County's deepest shortage reading, 18.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers St. Francois County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places St. Francois County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 18.0. 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.
St. Francois County falls in the upper half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 40 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.
St. Francois County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in St. Francois County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 28 FTE across St. Francois County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for St. Francois 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
St. Francois County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- St. Francois County's 10 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 mental health 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to St. Francois County's 18.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Val Verde County, TX and Jackson County, NC.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to St. Francois County's 10
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 10 - the inventory behind the ~28 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside St. Francois County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~28 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (13). "LI-St. Francois County" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; dental; 23,666 people in the service area; ~5.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 01/29/2001). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Why is St. Francois County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- St. Francois County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which named designations drive St. Francois County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI-St. Francois County", "LI-St. Francois/Ste. Genevieve Counties", "PARKLAND HEALTH CENTER MEDICAL CLINIC" and "LI - MHCA 17A/B". Discipline counts: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental across 10 designated rows.
- Do St. Francois 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 St. Francois County's FTE burden compare inside MO?
- 10 active designations and ~28 FTE published need. St. Francois County falls in the upper half of MO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 40 of 115. Score-nearest counties on this release include Val Verde County, TX and Jackson County, NC.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 29187. 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 29187 (St. Francois County, MO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 18.0; signature 28 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.