PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Forest County, PA
Designation volume is the standout signal for Forest County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Population 6,973.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 6,973
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 51.4
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Forest County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Forest County, PA 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 Forest County's active designations would take about 5.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3 primary care, 0.9 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Forest County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
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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.
Forest County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Forest 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
3 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Forest County carries 12 active designations, above 85% 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. Forest County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 67. 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: 42053. Population: 6,973.
Below high-priority line
Forest County is designated, but no active score clears 17
12 active designations sit on this FIPS (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 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.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Forest County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Penn Highlands Brookville Marienville Family Pract | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Penn Highlands Brookville Marienville Family Pract | dental | 15.0 |
| Tionesta Health Center | dental | 15.0 |
| Penn Highlands Brookville Marienville Family Pract | primary_care | 14.0 |
| CF-State Correctional Institution - Forest | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Tionesta Health Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Tionesta Health Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
| LI-Forest County | primary_care | 11.0 |
| LI-Forest County | mental_health | 8.0 |
| LI - Forest County | dental | 8.0 |
| CF-State Correctional Institution - Forest | mental_health | 6.0 |
| State Correctional Institution - Forest | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Forest County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Forest County: 12 active HPSA records, above 85% of real US counties. Forest County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Forest County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 16.0. The table on this page lists the highest-severity records first so a reader can see which named facilities, geographies, or population groups drive that burden without treating the county total as a personal appointment forecast.
Forest County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 67. Heavy-burden counties are where NHSC placement, Community Health Center grant geography, and related federal instruments concentrate; eligibility still follows the designated area and provider type, not the county boundary alone.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Forest County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Forest County's active designations: about 5.1 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
High-volume peers of Forest County (12 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 12 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Forest County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Forest County carries an MUA designation (index 51.4; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Forest County's 12 active HPSA designations?
- 12 Designated rows (4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "PENN HIGHLANDS BROOKVILLE MARIENVILLE FAMILY PRACT" (score 16.0; mental health; 35,976 people in the service area; designated 12/22/2020). Also active: "PENN HIGHLANDS BROOKVILLE MARIENVILLE FAMILY PRACT", "TIONESTA HEALTH CENTER", "PENN HIGHLANDS BROOKVILLE MARIENVILLE FAMILY PRACT". Above 85% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Forest County?
- Peak active score 16.0 in mental health stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 12 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Forest County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 5.1 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "PENN HIGHLANDS BROOKVILLE MARIENVILLE FAMILY PRACT" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Forest County's designation volume?
- 12 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Forest County's volume compare inside PA?
- 12 active HPSA rows · peak 16.0. Forest County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Jefferson County, MO and Carroll County, MD.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42053. 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 42053 (Forest County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 16.0; signature 12 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.