VT · Healthcare shortage profile
Orange County, VT
Designation volume is the standout signal for Orange County: 7 active HPSA records, above 70% of real US counties. Population 29,277.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 29,277
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 46.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orange County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Orange County
Orange County intersects 31 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
19 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Orange County, VT 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 17.0 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 Orange County's active designations would take about 0.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Orange County's 7 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Orange County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
7 Top 30% higher than 70% 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. Orange County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 14 real counties in VT. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 50017. Population: 29,277.
Single high-priority discipline
Orange County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 2 active mental health designations to Orange County , with a peak score of 17.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Orange County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gifford Health Care, Inc. | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Little Rivers Health Care | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Little Rivers Health Care | dental | 12.0 |
| Gifford Health Care, Inc. | dental | 10.0 |
| Orange County | primary_care | 8.0 |
| Little Rivers Health Care | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Gifford Health Care, Inc. | primary_care | 2.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Orange County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Orange County: 7 active HPSA records, above 70% of real US counties. Orange County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 8.0 of 25; Dental care reads 12.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 46.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Orange County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 17.0. 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.
Orange County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 14 real counties in VT. 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.
Acting on Orange County's high-priority mental health
Orange County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Orange County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of VT before drawing conclusions from a single score. VT overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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.
Counties With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Orange County's 17.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Thurston County, WA and Boone County, MO.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Orange County (7 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 7 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Orange County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Orange County carries an MUA designation (index 46.8; 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 Orange County's 7 active HPSA designations?
- 7 Designated rows (3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "GIFFORD HEALTH CARE, INC." (score 17.0; mental health; 13,642 people in the service area; designated 11/01/2013). Also active: "LITTLE RIVERS HEALTH CARE", "LITTLE RIVERS HEALTH CARE", "GIFFORD HEALTH CARE, INC.". Above 70% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Orange County?
- Peak active score 17.0 in mental health clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 7 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Orange County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 0.6 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "GIFFORD HEALTH CARE, INC." is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Orange County's designation volume?
- 7 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 Orange County's volume compare inside VT?
- 7 active HPSA rows · peak 17.0. Orange County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 14 real counties in VT. Score-nearest counties on this release include Thurston County, WA and Boone County, MO.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 50017. 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 50017 (Orange County, VT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 17.0; signature 7 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.