TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Brewster County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Brewster County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 9,546.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 9,546
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Brewster 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
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- 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.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Brewster County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 5 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Brewster County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
Source: Census ZCTA–county relationship file joined to this portal's county FIPS set. As of 2026-08-15.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Brewster County, TX 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 25.0 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 Brewster County's active designations would take about 34 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 33 primary care, 0.5 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Brewster 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Brewster 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. Brewster County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. 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: 48043. Population: 9,546.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Brewster 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Brewster County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Preventative Care Health Services Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Preventative Care Health Services Inc | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Preventative Care Health Services Inc | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Brewster County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Brewster County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Brewster County | dental | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Brewster County
Peak severity leads this reading: Brewster County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Brewster County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 19.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Brewster County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Brewster 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.
Brewster County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Brewster 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 Brewster County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Brewster County's active designations: about 34 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 Brewster County, TX · 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 Brewster County's designations
Brewster County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Brewster 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 TX before you draw conclusions from a single score. TX 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 Brewster County's 25.0. Open Cook County, IL or Riverside County, CA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Brewster County's peak score of 25.0?
- "PREVENTATIVE CARE HEALTH SERVICES INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 6,084 people in the service area; designated 10/31/2006). 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.
- Why is Brewster County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Brewster County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Brewster County's severity reading?
- After "PREVENTATIVE CARE HEALTH SERVICES INC", the next active names on this release are "PREVENTATIVE CARE HEALTH SERVICES INC" and "Brewster County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~34 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Brewster County's high-severity geography?
- Brewster 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 "PREVENTATIVE CARE HEALTH SERVICES INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48043. 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 48043 (Brewster County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.