NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Garfield County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Garfield County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,813.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 1,813
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 51.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Garfield County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- 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.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Garfield County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Garfield County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Garfield County, NE 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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Closing Garfield County's active designations would take about 5.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 5.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Garfield County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
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Peak HPSA score 15.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Garfield County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Garfield County falls in the upper half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 92. 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: 31071. Population: 1,813.
Below high-priority line
Garfield County is designated, but no active score clears 17
5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 15.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Garfield County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Vchs Medical Clinic | dental | 15.0 |
| Vchs Medical Clinic | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Vchs Medical Clinic | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Mental Health Catchment Area 3 | mental_health | 12.0 |
| LI - East Central Nebraska | primary_care | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Garfield County
Peak severity leads this reading: Garfield County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Garfield County's deepest shortage reading, 15.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25; Mental health reads 13.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Garfield County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Garfield County falls in the upper half of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 92. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Garfield County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Garfield County's active designations: about 5.3 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Garfield County's dental score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “VCHS MEDICAL CLINIC”).
Nash County, NC
15.0 dental score · 94,970 pop.
Lewis County, WA
15.0 dental score · 82,149 pop.
Walker County, GA
15.0 dental score · 67,654 pop.
Benton County, AR
15.0 dental score · 284,333 pop.
Trumbull County, OH
15.0 dental score · 201,977 pop.
Spotsylvania County, VA
15.0 dental score · 140,032 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Garfield County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Garfield County carries an MUA designation (index 51.0; 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 Garfield County's peak score of 15.0?
- "VCHS MEDICAL CLINIC" leads the active set (score 15.0; dental; 5,968 people in the service area; designated 02/11/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Garfield County's severity reading?
- After "VCHS MEDICAL CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "VCHS MEDICAL CLINIC", "Mental Health Catchment Area 3" and "LI - East Central Nebraska". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Garfield County's high-severity geography?
- Garfield County's 5 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 "VCHS MEDICAL CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31071. 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 31071 (Garfield County, NE), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.