GA · Healthcare shortage profile
Chatham County, GA
Peak severity leads this reading: Chatham County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 295,291.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 295,291
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 46.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Chatham County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Chatham 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.
-
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 Chatham County's active designations would take about 6.1 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 primary care, 4.4 mental health, 0.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Chatham County's 10 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).
Chatham County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Chatham 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
7 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, Chatham County carries 10 active designations, above 83% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Chatham County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 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: 13051. Population: 295,291.
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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Chatham County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc. | dental | 25.0 |
| Curtis V Cooper Primary Health Care Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Curtis V Cooper Primary Health Care Inc | mental_health | 22.0 |
| J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc. | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Curtis V Cooper Primary Health Care Inc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc. | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Chatham County | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Coastal State Prison | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Coastal State Prison | mental_health | 3.0 |
| Coastal State Prison | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Chatham County
Peak severity leads this reading: Chatham County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Chatham 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 46.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Chatham County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 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.
Chatham County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 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.
Chatham 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
4 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Chatham County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Chatham County's active designations: about 6.1 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 Chatham 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
Chatham County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Chatham County's 10 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 Chatham 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 Chatham 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 “J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, 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 Chatham County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Chatham County carries an MUA designation (index 46.9; 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 Chatham County's peak score of 25.0?
- "J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc." leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 72,365 people in the service area; designated 12/01/2012). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 10 active rows: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Chatham County's severity reading?
- After "J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc.", the next active names on this release are "J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc.", "CURTIS V COOPER PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC", "CURTIS V COOPER PRIMARY HEALTH CARE INC" and "J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Chatham County's high-severity geography?
- Chatham County's 10 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 "J.C. Lewis Primary Healthcare Center, Inc.".
- How does Chatham County's peak severity sit inside GA?
- Chatham County holds 10 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Chatham County falls in the upper quarter of GA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 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: 13051. 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 13051 (Chatham County, GA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.