Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

NY · Healthcare shortage profile

Orleans County, NY

Designation volume is the standout signal for Orleans County: 7 active HPSA records, above 70% of real US counties. Population 40,343.

Active HPSAs
7
Population
40,343
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
60.5

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orleans 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
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 30%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Orleans 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. Closing Orleans County's active designations would take about 4.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.3 primary care, 1 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 42.9% of Orleans 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 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.

Orleans County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

15 Census ZCTAs intersect Orleans 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

7 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

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orleans 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. Orleans County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 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: 36073. Population: 40,343.

Below high-priority line

Orleans 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 16.0. 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: 60.5

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 15.0

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 Orleans County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Orleans Community Health Clinic primary_care 16.0
Orleans Community Health Clinic mental_health 16.0
ME - Orleans County mental_health 16.0
ME - Orleans County primary_care 15.0
Orleans Community Health Clinic dental 15.0
Orleans Correctional Facility dental 12.0
Orleans Correctional Facility mental_health 6.0

Heavy-burden reading for Orleans County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Orleans County: 7 active HPSA records, above 70% of real US counties. Orleans County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Orleans 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 16.0. 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.

Orleans County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 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.

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Orleans County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Orleans County's active designations: about 4.6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

High-volume peers of Orleans 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 Orleans County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Orleans County carries an MUA designation (index 60.5; 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 Orleans County's 7 active HPSA designations?
7 Designated rows (2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC" (score 16.0; primary care; 45,166 people in the service area; designated 08/14/2025). Also active: "ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC", "ME - Orleans County", "ME - Orleans County". Above 70% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Orleans County?
Peak active score 16.0 in primary care and mental health stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 7 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Orleans County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 4.6 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "ORLEANS COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Orleans 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 Orleans County's volume compare inside NY?
7 active HPSA rows · peak 16.0. Orleans County falls in the upper half of NY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 of 62. Score-nearest counties on this release include Roanoke County, VA and Kent County, MI.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 36073. 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 36073 (Orleans County, NY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 16.0; signature 7 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.