OK · Healthcare shortage profile
Coal County, OK
Peak severity leads this reading: Coal County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,266.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 5,266
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 48.4
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Coal County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- 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 Coal County, OK 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 24.0 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 Coal County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.9 primary care, 13 mental health, 0.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Coal County's 4 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Coal County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Coal 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
2 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.
Coal County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
4 Top 56% higher than 44% 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. Coal County falls in the lower half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 58 of 77. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 40029. Population: 5,266.
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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Coal County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF-Mack Alford | mental_health | 24.0 |
| Mhca 21 | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI - Coal County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Coal County | dental | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Coal County
Peak severity leads this reading: Coal County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Coal County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 24.0 of 25, 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; Dental care reads 10.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Coal County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (1/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Coal County falls in the lower half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 58 of 77. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Coal 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
2 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Coal County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Coal County's active designations: about 14 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 Coal County, OK · 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 Coal County's designations
Coal County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Coal County's 4 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 OK before you draw conclusions from a single score. OK 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Coal County's 24.0. Open Clay County, AR or Bronx County, NY next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Coal County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Coal County carries an MUA designation (index 48.4; 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 Coal County's peak score of 24.0?
- "CF-Mack Alford" leads the active set (score 24.0; mental health; 786 people in the service area; ~0.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/13/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 1 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Coal County's severity reading?
- After "CF-Mack Alford", the next active names on this release are "CF-Mack Alford", "MHCA 21", "LI - Coal County" and "Coal County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Coal County's high-severity geography?
- Coal County's 4 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 "CF-Mack Alford".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40029. 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 40029 (Coal County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.