Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

NY · Healthcare shortage profile

Cattaraugus County, NY

Peak severity leads this reading: Cattaraugus County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 77,042.

Active HPSAs
9
Population
77,042
Peak shortage score
22.0
MUA Index
56.2

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cattaraugus County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

9
Active HPSA designations
3
Dental shortages
22
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 25%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Cattaraugus County

Cattaraugus County intersects 37 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.

Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county

25 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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cattaraugus County, NY 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 22.0 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 Cattaraugus County's active designations would take about 14 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 7.8 primary care, 1.9 mental health, 3.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Cattaraugus County's 9 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cattaraugus County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Cattaraugus County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 62. 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: 36009. Population: 77,042.

3
Dental HPSAs
3
Primary Care HPSAs
3
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 56.2

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 22.0

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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Cattaraugus County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Lionel R. John Health Center dental 22.0
Southern Tier Community Health Center Network, Inc. mental_health 21.0
Southern Tier Community Health Center Network, Inc. dental 21.0
Lionel R. John Health Center primary_care 19.0
ME - Cattaraugus County dental 18.0
Southern Tier Community Health Center Network, Inc. primary_care 17.0
LI-Cattaraugus County primary_care 17.0
LI- Cattaraugus County mental_health 17.0
Lionel R. John Health Center mental_health 15.0

Heavy-burden reading for Cattaraugus County

Peak severity leads this reading: Cattaraugus County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Cattaraugus County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Cattaraugus County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.

Cattaraugus County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 62. 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.

Cattaraugus County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Cattaraugus County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cattaraugus County's active designations: about 14 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 Cattaraugus County, NY · 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 a heavy-burden county

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

  • Cattaraugus County's 9 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 NY before you draw conclusions from a single score. NY 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 With a Similar Dental Shortage Score

Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Cattaraugus County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Washington County, OR and Anchorage County, AK.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Cattaraugus County's dental score of 22.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “Lionel R. John Health Center”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Cattaraugus County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Cattaraugus County carries an MUA designation (index 56.2; 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 Cattaraugus County's peak score of 22.0?
"Lionel R. John Health Center" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 4,281 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Cattaraugus County's severity reading?
After "Lionel R. John Health Center", the next active names on this release are "Lionel R. John Health Center", "SOUTHERN TIER COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER NETWORK, INC.", "SOUTHERN TIER COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER NETWORK, INC." and "Lionel R. John Health Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~14 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Cattaraugus County's high-severity geography?
Cattaraugus County's 9 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 "Lionel R. John Health Center".
How does Cattaraugus County's peak severity sit inside NY?
Cattaraugus County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Cattaraugus County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 17 of 62. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Washington County, OR and Anchorage County, AK.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 36009. 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 36009 (Cattaraugus County, NY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.