FL · Healthcare shortage profile
Suwannee County, FL
Designation volume is the standout signal for Suwannee County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Population 43,474.
- Active HPSAs
- 15
- Population
- 43,474
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 52.3
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Suwannee County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 15
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Primary-care shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 9%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Suwannee County, FL 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 Suwannee County's active designations would take about 23 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.9 primary care, 9.5 mental health, 4.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Suwannee County's 15 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 15).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Suwannee County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Suwannee 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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Suwannee County carries 15 active designations, above 91% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Suwannee County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 67. 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: 12121. Population: 43,474.
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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Suwannee County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF-Suwannee Correctional Institution/Annex | primary_care | 21.0 |
| North Florida Pediatrics PA | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Children's Medical Center Live Oak | mental_health | 18.0 |
| North Florida Pediatrics PA | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Children's Medical Center Live Oak | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Copeland Clinic | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Copeland Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Lutheran Service Mhca - Circuit 3 | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Children's Medical Center Live Oak | dental | 17.0 |
| Copeland Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| North Florida Pediatrics PA | dental | 17.0 |
| Suwannee County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| CF-Suwannee Correctional Institution/Annex | mental_health | 15.0 |
| LI - Suwannee County | dental | 15.0 |
| CF-Suwannee Correctional Institution/Annex | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Suwannee County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Suwannee County: 15 active HPSA records, above 91% of real US counties. Primary care is where Suwannee County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 21.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Suwannee County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 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.
Suwannee County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 67. 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.
Suwannee County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
5 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
5 designations
- Dental
Dental
5 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Suwannee County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Suwannee County's active designations: about 23 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 Suwannee County, FL · 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
Suwannee County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Suwannee County's 15 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 FL before you draw conclusions from a single score. FL 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 Primary Care Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA primary-care HPSA score is closest to Suwannee County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Cass County, ND and Dallas County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Suwannee County (15 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 15 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Suwannee County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Suwannee County carries an MUA designation (index 52.3; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Suwannee County's 15 active HPSA designations?
- 15 Designated rows (5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "CF-Suwannee Correctional Institution/Annex" (score 21.0; primary care; 1,993 people in the service area; ~2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/04/2012). Also active: "NORTH FLORIDA PEDIATRICS PA", "CHILDREN'S MEDICAL CENTER LIVE OAK", "NORTH FLORIDA PEDIATRICS PA". Above 91% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Suwannee County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in primary care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 15 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Suwannee County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 23 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "CF-Suwannee Correctional Institution/Annex" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Suwannee County's designation volume?
- 15 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Suwannee County's volume compare inside FL?
- 15 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Suwannee County falls in the upper quarter of FL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Cass County, ND and Dallas County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12121. 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 12121 (Suwannee County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 21.0; signature 15 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.