MT · Healthcare shortage profile
Lewis and Clark County, MT
Peak severity leads this reading: Lewis and Clark County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 70,973.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 70,973
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 52.2
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lewis and Clark County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lewis and Clark County, MT 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 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.
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Closing Lewis and Clark County's active designations would take about 1.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.2 primary care, 1.2 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Lewis and Clark County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 8).
Lewis and Clark County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Lewis and Clark 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
4 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.
Lewis and Clark County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Lewis and Clark County falls in the upper half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 56. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 30049. Population: 70,973.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Lewis and Clark County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pureview Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Pureview Health Center | dental | 19.0 |
| Pureview Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Helena Indian Alliance | dental | 18.0 |
| Helena Indian Alliance | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Lewis and Clark County | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Helena Indian Alliance | mental_health | 11.0 |
| Lewis and Clark County | primary_care | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lewis and Clark County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lewis and Clark County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Lewis and Clark County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 19.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lewis and Clark County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 19.0. 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.
Lewis and Clark County falls in the upper half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 56. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lewis and Clark County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lewis and Clark County's active designations: about 1.4 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 Lewis and Clark County, MT · 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
Lewis and Clark County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lewis and Clark County's 8 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 MT before you draw conclusions from a single score. MT 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Lewis and Clark County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Lake County, IN and Hamilton County, IN.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lewis and Clark County's mental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER”).
Lake County, IN
19.0 mental score · 498,700 pop.
Hamilton County, IN
19.0 mental score · 347,467 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
19.0 mental score · 216,785 pop.
Saginaw County, MI
19.0 mental score · 190,124 pop.
Black Hawk County, IA
19.0 mental score · 131,144 pop.
Dubuque County, IA
19.0 mental score · 99,266 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lewis and Clark County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lewis and Clark County carries an MUA designation (index 52.2; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Lewis and Clark County's peak score of 19.0?
- "PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 19.0; mental health; 17,274 people in the service area; designated 05/08/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lewis and Clark County's severity reading?
- After "PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER", "PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER", "PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER" and "Helena Indian Alliance". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lewis and Clark County's high-severity geography?
- Lewis and Clark County's 8 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, eligibility follows the designated area and provider type, not merely the county line around "PUREVIEW HEALTH CENTER".
- How does Lewis and Clark County's peak severity sit inside MT?
- Lewis and Clark County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 19.0. Lewis and Clark County falls in the upper half of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 56. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Lake County, IN and Hamilton County, IN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 30049. 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 30049 (Lewis and Clark County, MT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.