Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

VA · Healthcare shortage profile

Halifax County, VA

Peak severity leads this reading: Halifax County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 34,022.

Active HPSAs
3
Population
34,022
Peak shortage score
19.0
MUA Index
51.0

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Halifax County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

3
Active HPSA designations
1
Primary-care shortages
19
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 80%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Halifax County, VA 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.

  1. Peak HPSA score 19.0 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.

  2. Closing Halifax County's active designations would take about 9.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.8 primary care, 2.8 mental health, 3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Halifax County's 3 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).

Halifax County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

14 Census ZCTAs intersect Halifax 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

6 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, Halifax County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Halifax County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 133. 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: 51083. Population: 34,022.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 51.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 19.0
Dental 18.0

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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Halifax County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
LI-Halifax County primary_care 19.0
Southside Mhca mental_health 19.0
LI - Halifax County dental 18.0

Light-burden reading for Halifax County

Peak severity leads this reading: Halifax County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Halifax County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 19.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Halifax County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.

Halifax County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 133. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Halifax County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Halifax County's active designations: about 9.6 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 Halifax County, VA · 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 Halifax County's designations

Halifax County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Halifax County's 3 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 VA before you draw conclusions from a single score. VA 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.

Counties near Halifax County's primary score of 19.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI-Halifax County”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Halifax County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Halifax County carries an MUA designation (index 51.0; 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 Halifax County's peak score of 19.0?
"LI-Halifax County" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 2,681 people in the service area; ~3.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/07/2025). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Halifax County's severity reading?
After "LI-Halifax County", the next active names on this release are "LI-Halifax County", "Southside MHCA" and "LI - Halifax County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51083. 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 51083 (Halifax County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.