VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Buena Vista City County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Buena Vista City County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 6,641.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 6,641
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 53.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Buena Vista City 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- 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 Buena Vista City County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersecting Buena Vista City 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 Buena Vista City 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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Closing Buena Vista City County's active designations would take about 4.5 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.1 primary care, 0.8 mental health, 1.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Buena Vista City 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).
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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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Buena Vista City County carries 3 active designations, above 20% 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. Buena Vista City 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: 51530. Population: 6,641.
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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Buena Vista City County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Rockbridge Service Area | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI - Rockbridge County/Lexington City/BuenaVista City | dental | 15.0 |
| LI - Rockbridge Area | primary_care | 13.0 |
Light-burden reading for Buena Vista City County
Peak severity leads this reading: Buena Vista City County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Buena Vista City 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 13.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Buena Vista City 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.
Buena Vista City 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 Buena Vista City County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Buena Vista City County's active designations: about 4.5 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Buena Vista City County's mental score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Rockbridge Service Area”).
Roanoke County, VA
16.0 mental score · 96,929 pop.
Kent County, MI
16.0 mental score · 657,974 pop.
Smith County, TX
16.0 mental score · 233,479 pop.
Iredell County, NC
16.0 mental score · 186,693 pop.
Houston County, GA
16.0 mental score · 163,633 pop.
Wichita County, TX
16.0 mental score · 129,350 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Buena Vista City County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Buena Vista City County carries an MUA designation (index 53.0; 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 Buena Vista City County's peak score of 16.0?
- "LI - Rockbridge Service Area" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 12,193 people in the service area; ~0.8 FTE still needed on the record; designated 01/29/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Buena Vista City County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Rockbridge Service Area", the next active names on this release are "LI - Rockbridge Service Area", "LI - Rockbridge County/Lexington City/BuenaVista City" and "LI - Rockbridge Area". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51530. 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 51530 (Buena Vista City County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.