VA · Healthcare shortage profile
Tazewell County, VA
Peak severity leads this reading: Tazewell County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 40,429.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 40,429
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 52.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Tazewell 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Dense ZCTA lattice over Tazewell County
Tazewell County intersects 18 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
6 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 Tazewell 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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Peak HPSA score 21.0 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.
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Closing Tazewell County's active designations would take about 8.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3 primary care, 3.6 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Tazewell 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).
Tazewell County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% of 3,289 real US counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more real US counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs · 2026
State peer position. Tazewell County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 133. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 51185. Population: 40,429.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Tazewell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Clinch Valley Physicians | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Clinch Valley Physicians | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Cumberland Mountain Mhca | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Clinch Valley Physicians | dental | 17.0 |
| Tazewell County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Tazewell County | dental | 10.0 |
| Pocahontas State Correctional Center | dental | 9.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Tazewell County
Peak severity leads this reading: Tazewell County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Tazewell County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Tazewell 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 21.0. 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.
Tazewell County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 133. 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 Tazewell County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Tazewell County's active designations: about 8.3 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 Tazewell County, VA · 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
Tazewell County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Tazewell 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 VA before you draw conclusions from a single score. VA 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Tazewell County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Tazewell County's mental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center”).
Pinellas County, FL
21.0 mental score · 959,107 pop.
Ocean County, NJ
21.0 mental score · 637,229 pop.
Greenville County, SC
21.0 mental score · 525,534 pop.
Pinal County, AZ
21.0 mental score · 425,264 pop.
Lancaster County, NE
21.0 mental score · 322,608 pop.
Erie County, PA
21.0 mental score · 270,876 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Tazewell County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Tazewell County carries an MUA designation (index 52.0; 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 Tazewell County's peak score of 21.0?
- "CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 1,372 people in the service area; ~0.7 FTE still needed on the record; designated 06/22/2022). 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 Tazewell County's severity reading?
- After "CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center", the next active names on this release are "CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center", "CLINCH VALLEY PHYSICIANS", "CLINCH VALLEY PHYSICIANS" and "Cumberland Mountain MHCA". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Tazewell County's high-severity geography?
- Tazewell 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 "CF-Pocahontas State Correctional Center".
- How does Tazewell County's peak severity sit inside VA?
- Tazewell County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Tazewell County falls in the upper quarter of VA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 133. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 51185. 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 51185 (Tazewell County, VA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.