VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Galax City County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Galax City County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 6,720.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 6,720
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Galax City 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
Few Census ZCTAs touch Galax City County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 1 ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersecting Galax 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 Galax 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.
-
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 Galax City County's active designations would take about 18 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.3 primary care, 9.2 mental health, 5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Galax City 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).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Galax City 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. Galax City 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: 51640. Population: 6,720.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Galax City County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Galax City County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Carilion Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| LI - Grayson and Carroll Counties/Galax City | dental | 18.0 |
| Carilion Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Mount Rogers Mhca | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Carilion Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Carroll/Grayson/Galax Counties | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Galax City County
Peak severity leads this reading: Galax City County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Galax City County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care 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. Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Galax City County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Galax City 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.
Galax City 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.
Galax City 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 Galax City County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Galax City County's active designations: about 18 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 Galax City 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 Galax City County's designations
Galax City County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Galax City 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 Galax City County's 18.0. Open Placer County, CA or Boulder County, CO next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Galax City 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 “CARILION CLINIC”).
Placer County, CA
18.0 primary score · 404,739 pop.
Boulder County, CO
18.0 primary score · 330,758 pop.
Canyon County, ID
18.0 primary score · 231,105 pop.
Shasta County, CA
18.0 primary score · 182,155 pop.
Scott County, MN
18.0 primary score · 150,928 pop.
Westchester County, NY
18.0 primary score · 1,004,457 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Galax City County's peak score of 18.0?
- "CARILION CLINIC" leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 39,659 people in the service area; designated 11/24/2025). 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.
- Why is Galax City County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Galax City County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Galax City County's severity reading?
- After "CARILION CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "CARILION CLINIC", "LI - Grayson and Carroll Counties/Galax City", "CARILION CLINIC" and "LI-Mount Rogers MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~18 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Galax City County's high-severity geography?
- Galax City 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 "CARILION CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51640. 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 51640 (Galax City 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.