VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Russell County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Russell County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 25,781.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 25,781
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 49.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Russell 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
- Primary-care shortages
- 18
- 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Russell 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.
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Peak HPSA score 18.0 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 Russell County's active designations would take about 8.9 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.4 primary care, 2.9 mental health, 2.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Russell 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).
Russell County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Russell 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Russell 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. Russell County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 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: 51167. Population: 25,781.
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 Russell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Community Health Clinic P C | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI-Russell County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Community Health Clinic P C | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI - Russell County | dental | 18.0 |
| Community Health Clinic P C | dental | 18.0 |
| Cumberland Mountain Mhca | mental_health | 17.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Russell County
Peak severity leads this reading: Russell County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Russell County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 18.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 49.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Russell 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.
Russell County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 21 of 133. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Russell 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 Russell County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Russell County's active designations: about 8.9 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 Russell 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 Russell County's designations
Russell County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Russell 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 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.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Russell County's 18.0. Open Whatcom County, WA or Pitt County, NC next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Russell County's primary score of 18.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 18.0 (severity lead on this page is “COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC P C”).
Whatcom County, WA
18.0 primary score · 226,847 pop.
Pitt County, NC
18.0 primary score · 170,243 pop.
Rock Island County, IL
18.0 primary score · 144,672 pop.
Ventura County, CA
18.0 primary score · 843,843 pop.
Douglas County, NE
18.0 primary score · 584,526 pop.
Lane County, OR
18.0 primary score · 382,971 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Russell County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Russell County carries an MUA designation (index 49.0; 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 Russell County's peak score of 18.0?
- "COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC P C" leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 30,998 people in the service area; designated 10/23/2003). 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 Russell County's severity reading?
- After "COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC P C", the next active names on this release are "COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC P C", "LI-Russell County", "COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC P C" and "LI - Russell County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Russell County's high-severity geography?
- Russell 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 "COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC P C".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51167. 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 51167 (Russell County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.