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
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.
-
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).
-
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.
-
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 peak severity
Two peer sets for Garfield County: active designation volume and primary-care HPSA score, ranked across the national county corpus.
Similar designation volume
Nearest active designation count (5 here).
Similar primary-care score
Nearest active primary-care HPSA score (13.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Garfield County a Medically Underserved Area?
- Yes, Garfield County is designated as a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by HRSA. The MUA Index for this county is 51.0. MUA designation qualifies the area for enhanced federal funding and provider incentive programs.
- How many healthcare shortage areas does Garfield County have?
- Garfield County, NE has 5 Health Professional Shortage Area designations: 2 in primary care, 2 in mental health, and 1 in dental care, according to HRSA data.
- What does Garfield County's HPSA score of 15.0 mean?
- 15.0 in dental care falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.
- What healthcare providers are needed in Garfield County?
- Based on HRSA shortage designations, Garfield 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: 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.