GA · Healthcare shortage profile
Richmond County, GA
Peak severity leads this reading: Richmond County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 206,607.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 206,607
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 36.6
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Richmond County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Richmond 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.
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Peak HPSA score 25.0 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 Richmond County's active designations would take about 8.4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.4 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Richmond County's 7 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Richmond County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Richmond 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
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Richmond County carries 7 active designations, above 70% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Richmond County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 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: 13245. Population: 206,607.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Richmond County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood Improvement Project, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Christ Community Health Services Augusta, Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Neighborhood Improvement Project, Inc. | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Christ Community Health Services Augusta, Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Neighborhood Improvement Project, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Christ Community Health Services Augusta, Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI-Community Service Board of East Central Georgia | mental_health | 18.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Richmond County
Peak severity leads this reading: Richmond County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Richmond County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 36.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Richmond County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Richmond County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 159. 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.
Richmond County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Richmond County, GA · 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
Richmond County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Richmond County's 7 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of GA before you draw conclusions from a single score. GA 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Richmond County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Richmond County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, INC.”).
Cook County, IL
25.0 dental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Riverside County, CA
25.0 dental score · 2,418,185 pop.
Broward County, FL
25.0 dental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Bronx County, NY
25.0 dental score · 1,472,654 pop.
Salt Lake County, UT
25.0 dental score · 1,185,238 pop.
Fresno County, CA
25.0 dental score · 1,008,654 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Richmond County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Richmond County carries an MUA designation (index 36.6; 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 Richmond County's peak score of 25.0?
- "NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, INC." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 113,976 people in the service area; designated 09/01/2007). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 7 active rows: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Richmond County's severity reading?
- After "NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, INC.", the next active names on this release are "NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, INC.", "CHRIST COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES AUGUSTA, INC", "NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, INC." and "CHRIST COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES AUGUSTA, INC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~8.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Richmond County's high-severity geography?
- Richmond County's 7 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 "NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT, INC.".
- How does Richmond County's peak severity sit inside GA?
- Richmond County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Richmond County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 159. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cook County, IL and Riverside County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 13245. 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 13245 (Richmond County, GA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.