0 Designated · below priority line

NE · Healthcare shortage profile

Red Willow County, NE

Home to 10,702 residents, with 5 active HRSA shortage designations.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
10,702
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
-

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Red Willow 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
2
Primary-care shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Red Willow 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.

  1. 40% of Red Willow 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).

  2. Closing Red Willow County's active designations would take about 3.2 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.4 primary care, 1.8 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 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, Red Willow 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. Red Willow 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: 31145. Population: 10,702.

Below high-priority line

Red Willow 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 16.0. 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.

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 15.0

Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Red Willow 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Red Willow County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Indianola Medical Clinic primary_care 16.0
LI - Southwest Nebraska primary_care 16.0
Indianola Medical Clinic mental_health 16.0
Indianola Medical Clinic dental 15.0
Catchment Area 2 mental_health 7.0

Moderate-burden reading for Red Willow County

Red Willow County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Red Willow County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.

Red Willow 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.

Red Willow 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many healthcare shortage areas does Red Willow County have?

Red Willow 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.

Is Red Willow County a Medically Underserved Area?

Red Willow County does not currently have a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) designation from HRSA. However, the county may still have individual HPSA designations for specific provider types.

What does Red Willow County's HPSA score of 16.0 mean?

16.0 in primary care and mental health falls under 17, so the shortage is formally designated but outside HRSA's high-priority tier.

What healthcare providers are needed in Red Willow County?

Based on HRSA shortage designations, Red Willow 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.

Next read: The Primary-Care Shortage · NE state overview · NHSC loan repayment

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31145. 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.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the HRSA Data Warehouse. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Every figure on PlainHealthAccess is rendered directly from HRSA source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page counts active HPSA rows for FIPS 31145 (Red Willow County, NE) from the current HRSA release and places that total among all real US counties. Designations describe federal shortage criteria, not appointment availability or care quality for any person. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, review the public data changelog, or report a data issue for this page. Data current as of 2026-08-15.