OK · Healthcare shortage profile
Delaware County, OK
Peak severity leads this reading: Delaware County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 40,397.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 40,397
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 33.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Delaware County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Delaware 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 20.0 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 Delaware County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.6 primary care, 6.1 mental health, 2.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Delaware County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Delaware County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Delaware 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
5 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Delaware County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Delaware County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 77. 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: 40041. Population: 40,397.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Delaware County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Delaware County | dental | 18.0 |
| LI-Catchment Area 1 | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Delaware County | primary_care | 15.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Delaware County
Peak severity leads this reading: Delaware County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Delaware County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, 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; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 33.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Delaware County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Delaware County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 29 of 77. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Delaware County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Delaware County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Delaware County's active designations: about 12 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 Delaware 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 Delaware County's designations
Delaware County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Delaware County's 6 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 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Delaware County's 20.0. Open Snohomish County, WA or Marion County, FL next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Delaware County's dental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center”).
Snohomish County, WA
20.0 dental score · 827,957 pop.
Marion County, FL
20.0 dental score · 375,908 pop.
Clark County, OH
20.0 dental score · 136,001 pop.
Polk County, OR
20.0 dental score · 87,433 pop.
Lake County, CA
20.0 dental score · 68,163 pop.
Sampson County, NC
20.0 dental score · 59,036 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Delaware County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Delaware County carries an MUA designation (index 33.8; 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 Delaware County's peak score of 20.0?
- "Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center" leads the active set (score 20.0; dental; 37,944 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Delaware County's severity reading?
- After "Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center", the next active names on this release are "Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center", "Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center", "Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center" and "LI - Delaware County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~12 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Delaware County's high-severity geography?
- Delaware County's 6 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 "Cherokee Nation Health Services Sam Hider Health Center".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40041. 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 40041 (Delaware County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.