PA · Healthcare shortage profile
Susquehanna County, PA
Designation volume is the standout signal for Susquehanna County: 17 active HPSA records, above 93% of real US counties. Population 38,434.
- Active HPSAs
- 17
- Population
- 38,434
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 59.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Susquehanna County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 17 active HPSA designations, more than 93% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 17
- Active HPSA designations
- 6
- Primary-care shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 7%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Susquehanna County, PA 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 17.0 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.
-
Closing Susquehanna County's active designations would take about 5.2 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care, 3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
35.3% of Susquehanna County's 17 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 6 primary care, 5 mental health, 6 dental (denominator 17).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Susquehanna County
Susquehanna County intersects 31 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
19 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Susquehanna County carries 17 active designations, above 93% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Susquehanna County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 67. 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: 42115. Population: 38,434.
Medically Underserved Area
Peak severity 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 17 active (designated) HPSAs in Susquehanna County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes-Kasson Hospital | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes-Kasson Hospital | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Barnes-Kasson County Hospital | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes Kasson Hospital | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes-Kasson Hospital | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes-Kasson Hospital | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes Kasson Hospital | dental | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes-Kasson Hospital | dental | 17.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes-Kasson Hospital | dental | 17.0 |
| Barnes-Kasson County Hospital | dental | 17.0 |
| B-K Health Center Inc. | dental | 16.0 |
| LI- Susquehanna | dental | 16.0 |
| Family Health Clinic OF Barnes Kasson Hospital | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI-Susquehanna County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| B-K Health Center Inc. | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Barnes-Kasson County Hospital | mental_health | 13.0 |
| B-K Health Center Inc. | mental_health | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Susquehanna County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Susquehanna County: 17 active HPSA records, above 93% of real US counties. Susquehanna County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Susquehanna County above 93% of real US counties (17 active designations: 6 primary care, 5 mental health, 6 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 17.0. 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.
Susquehanna County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 67. 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.
Susquehanna 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
6 designations
- Dental
Dental
6 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
5 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Susquehanna County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Susquehanna County's active designations: about 5.2 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 Susquehanna County, PA · 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
Susquehanna County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Susquehanna County's 17 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 PA before you draw conclusions from a single score. PA 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Susquehanna County's 17.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Black Hawk County, IA and Providence County, RI.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Susquehanna County (17 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 17 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Susquehanna County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Susquehanna County carries an MUA designation (index 59.0; 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 Susquehanna County's 17 active HPSA designations?
- 17 Designated rows (6 primary care, 5 mental health, 6 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC OF BARNES-KASSON HOSPITAL" (score 17.0; primary care; 49,385 people in the service area; designated 08/14/2025). Also active: "FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC OF BARNES-KASSON HOSPITAL", "BARNES-KASSON COUNTY HOSPITAL", "FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC OF BARNES KASSON HOSPITAL". Above 93% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Susquehanna County?
- Peak active score 17.0 in primary care and mental health and dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 17 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Susquehanna County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 5.2 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC OF BARNES-KASSON HOSPITAL" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Susquehanna County's designation volume?
- 17 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 Susquehanna County's volume compare inside PA?
- 17 active HPSA rows · peak 17.0. Susquehanna County falls in the upper quarter of PA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Black Hawk County, IA and Providence County, RI.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 42115. 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 42115 (Susquehanna County, PA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 17; peak score 17.0; signature 17 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.