VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Amherst County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Amherst County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 31,307.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 31,307
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 55.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Amherst 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
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Amherst County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Amherst County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
4 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 Amherst 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.
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Closing Amherst County's active designations would take about 8.9 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.5 primary care, 4.1 mental health, 2.3 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Amherst 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).
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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.
Corpus placement
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Amherst County carries 6 active designations, above 54% 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. Amherst 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: 51009. Population: 31,307.
Below high-priority line
Amherst County is designated, but no active score clears 17
6 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 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
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Amherst County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Monacan Health Center | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI-Amherst County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Horizon/Central Virginia Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Amherst County | dental | 16.0 |
| Monacan Health Center | dental | 15.0 |
| Monacan Health Center | mental_health | 7.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Amherst County
Peak severity leads this reading: Amherst County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Amherst County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health and dental care: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Amherst 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.
Amherst 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.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Amherst County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Amherst County's active designations: about 8.9 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Counties near Amherst County's primary score of 16.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Monacan Health Center”).
Madera County, CA
16.0 primary score · 156,255 pop.
Hardin County, KY
16.0 primary score · 110,702 pop.
Garland County, AR
16.0 primary score · 100,180 pop.
San Francisco County, CA
16.0 primary score · 873,965 pop.
Clackamas County, OR
16.0 primary score · 421,401 pop.
Norfolk City County, VA
16.0 primary score · 238,005 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Amherst County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Amherst County carries an MUA designation (index 55.0; 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 Amherst County's peak score of 16.0?
- "Monacan Health Center" leads the active set (score 16.0; primary care; 3,017 people in the service area; designated 04/08/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Amherst County's severity reading?
- After "Monacan Health Center", the next active names on this release are "Monacan Health Center", "LI-Amherst County", "LI - Horizon/Central Virginia MHCA" and "LI-Amherst County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Amherst County's high-severity geography?
- Amherst 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 "Monacan Health Center".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51009. 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 51009 (Amherst County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.