VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Washington County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Washington County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 53,935.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 53,935
- Peak shortage score
- 15.0
- MUA Index
- 51.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Washington County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 15
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Washington 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.
-
Closing Washington County's active designations would take about 9.4 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 5.1 primary care, 1.1 mental health, 3.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Washington County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 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.
Washington County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Washington 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
3 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, Washington County carries 3 active designations, above 20% 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. Washington County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 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: 51191. Population: 53,935.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Washington County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI - Highlands Service Area | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Washington County/Bristol City | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Washington County/Bristol City | dental | 13.0 |
Light-burden reading for Washington County
Peak severity leads this reading: Washington County's highest active HPSA score is 15.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Washington 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 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Washington County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Washington County falls in the upper half of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 55 of 133. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Washington County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Washington County's active designations: about 9.4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Washington County's mental score of 15.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 15.0 (severity lead on this page is “LI - Highlands Service Area”).
Anchorage County, AK
15.0 mental score · 291,247 pop.
Cass County, ND
15.0 mental score · 184,525 pop.
Gallatin County, MT
15.0 mental score · 118,960 pop.
Kershaw County, SC
15.0 mental score · 65,403 pop.
Bedford County, TN
15.0 mental score · 50,237 pop.
Muscatine County, IA
15.0 mental score · 43,235 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Washington County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Washington County carries an MUA designation (index 51.0; 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 Washington County's peak score of 15.0?
- "LI - Highlands Service Area" leads the active set (score 15.0; mental health; 10,200 people in the service area; ~1.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/07/2020). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Washington County's severity reading?
- After "LI - Highlands Service Area", the next active names on this release are "LI - Highlands Service Area", "LI - Washington County/Bristol City" and "LI - Washington County/Bristol City". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51191. 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 51191 (Washington County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 15.0; signature peak score 15.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.