Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

GA · Healthcare shortage profile

Rabun County, GA

Peak severity leads this reading: Rabun County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 16,883.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
16,883
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
61.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rabun County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

5
Active HPSA designations
2
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Rabun County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Rabun 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 Rabun County, GA 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 Rabun County's active designations would take about 11 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.7 primary care, 9.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 40% of Rabun County's 5 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).

  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.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Rabun County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Rabun County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 159. 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: 13241. Population: 16,883.

Below high-priority line

Rabun County is designated, but no active score clears 17

5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 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: 61.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Rabun County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Mountain Lakes Physicians Group mental_health 16.0
LI - Mhca 3/Avita Community Partners mental_health 16.0
LI - Rabun County primary_care 15.0
Mountain Lakes Physicians Group dental 15.0
Mountain Lakes Physicians Group primary_care 14.0

Moderate-burden reading for Rabun County

Peak severity leads this reading: Rabun County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Rabun County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Rabun County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Rabun County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 19 of 159. 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 Rabun County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Rabun County's active designations: about 11 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Rabun County's mental score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “MOUNTAIN LAKES PHYSICIANS GROUP”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rabun County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Rabun County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Rabun County's peak score of 16.0?
"MOUNTAIN LAKES PHYSICIANS GROUP" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 58,037 people in the service area; designated 02/04/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Rabun County's severity reading?
After "MOUNTAIN LAKES PHYSICIANS GROUP", the next active names on this release are "MOUNTAIN LAKES PHYSICIANS GROUP", "LI - MHCA 3/Avita Community Partners", "LI - Rabun County" and "MOUNTAIN LAKES PHYSICIANS GROUP". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~11 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Rabun County's high-severity geography?
Rabun County's 5 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 "MOUNTAIN LAKES PHYSICIANS GROUP".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 13241. 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 13241 (Rabun County, GA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.