Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

VA · Healthcare shortage profile

Chesapeake City County, VA

Designation volume is the standout signal for Chesapeake City County: 7 active HPSA records, above 70% of real US counties. Population 249,422.

Active HPSAs
7
Population
249,422
Peak shortage score
15.0
MUA Index
60.0

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Chesapeake City 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 mental health the deepest gap.

7
Active HPSA designations
3
Mental-health shortages
15
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 30%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Chesapeake City County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Chesapeake City County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

1 additional ZCTA 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 Chesapeake 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.

  1. Closing Chesapeake City County's active designations would take about 7.7 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.5 primary care, 4 mental health, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 42.9% of Chesapeake City County's 7 active designations are mental health.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).

  3. Peak HPSA score 15.0 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, Chesapeake City County carries 7 active designations, above 70% 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. Chesapeake City County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 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: 51550. Population: 249,422.

Below high-priority line

Chesapeake City County is designated, but no active score clears 17

7 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental), and the peak severity is 15.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 60.0

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 12.0
Mental Health 15.0
Dental 6.0

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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Chesapeake City County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
ME - Chesapeake Mhca mental_health 15.0
CF-St. Brides Correctional Center primary_care 12.0
CF-Indian Creek Correctional Center primary_care 12.0
CF-Indian Creek Correctional Center mental_health 12.0
CF-St. Brides Correctional Center mental_health 12.0
Indian Creek Correctional Center dental 6.0
CF-St. Brides Correctional Center dental 3.0

Heavy-burden reading for Chesapeake City County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Chesapeake City County: 7 active HPSA records, above 70% of real US counties. Chesapeake City County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 15.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25; Dental care reads 6.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Chesapeake City County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 15.0. 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.

Chesapeake City County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 133. 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.

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Chesapeake City County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Chesapeake City County's active designations: about 7.7 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

High-volume peers of Chesapeake City 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 Chesapeake City County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Chesapeake City County carries an MUA designation (index 60.0; 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 Chesapeake City County's 7 active HPSA designations?
7 Designated rows (2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "ME - Chesapeake MHCA" (score 15.0; mental health; 32,774 people in the service area; ~2.2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 07/10/2023). Also active: "CF-St. Brides Correctional Center", "CF-Indian Creek Correctional Center", "CF-Indian Creek Correctional Center". Above 70% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Chesapeake City County?
Peak active score 15.0 in mental health stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 7 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Chesapeake City County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 7.7 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "ME - Chesapeake MHCA" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Chesapeake City 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 Chesapeake City County's volume compare inside VA?
7 active HPSA rows · peak 15.0. Chesapeake City County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 133. Score-nearest counties on this release include Anchorage County, AK and Kent County, DE.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51550. 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 51550 (Chesapeake City County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 15.0; signature 7 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.