Medically Underserved Area High-priority · mental health only

FL · Healthcare shortage profile

Lake County, FL

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Lake County's active designations would take about 48 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 383,956.

Active HPSAs
22
Population
383,956
Peak shortage score
17.0
MUA Index
45.6

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lake County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 22 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with dental the deepest gap.

22
Active HPSA designations
7
Mental-health shortages
17
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 4%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lake 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.

  1. Peak HPSA score 17.0 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.

  2. Closing Lake County's active designations would take about 48 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 12 primary care, 24 mental health, 12 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 36.4% of Lake County's 22 active designations are dental.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 22).

Dense ZCTA lattice over Lake County

Lake County intersects 30 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

18 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.

Lake County vs. every real US county

Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none

22 Top 4% higher than 96% of 3,289 real US counties

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). Below this entry. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). This entry sits in this band. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Lake County sits among the top three county rank positions in FL, at rank 3 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 12069. Population: 383,956.

Single high-priority discipline

Lake County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 7 active mental health designations to Lake County , with a peak score of 17.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 45.6

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 16.0
Mental Health 17.0
Dental 16.0

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 22 active (designated) HPSAs in Lake County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Professional Pediatrics mental_health 17.0
LI - Umatilla/Leesburg/Tavares primary_care 16.0
Leesburg Pediatrics PA primary_care 16.0
Clark Clinic Inc mental_health 16.0
Clark Clinic, Inc mental_health 16.0
Leesburg Pediatrics PA mental_health 16.0
Tavares Pediatrics, Inc. mental_health 16.0
LI-Lutheran Services Florida-Circuit 5 Mhca mental_health 16.0
Professional Pediatrics dental 16.0
LI-Umatilla/Leesburg/Tavares dental 16.0
Excel Pediatrics mental_health 15.0
Tavares Pediatrics, Inc. dental 15.0
Clark Clinic Inc dental 15.0
Clark Clinic, Inc dental 15.0
Leesburg Pediatrics PA dental 15.0
Excel Pediatrics dental 15.0
Clark Clinic, Inc primary_care 14.0
Excel Pediatrics primary_care 14.0
Professional Pediatrics primary_care 14.0
Clark Clinic Inc primary_care 14.0
Tavares Pediatrics, Inc. primary_care 14.0
Lake Correctional Institution dental 3.0

Heavy-burden reading for Lake County

The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Lake County's active designations would take about 48 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Lake County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 17.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 16.0 of 25; Dental care reads 16.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 45.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Lake County above 96% of real US counties (22 active designations: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 17.0. 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.

Lake County sits among the top three county rank positions in FL, at rank 3 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.

Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lake County

Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 48 FTE across Lake County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.

Acting on Lake County's high-priority mental health

Lake County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Lake County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of FL before drawing conclusions from a single score. FL overview
  • Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Lake County's 17.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Bastrop County, TX and Dane County, WI.

Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties with a matching designation count to Lake County's 22

One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 22 - the inventory behind the ~48 FTE published need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Lake County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Lake County carries an MUA designation (index 45.6; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Lake County?
Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~48 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (24). "PROFESSIONAL PEDIATRICS" is the highest-scored active row (score 17.0; mental health; 632,466 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Which named designations drive Lake County's FTE reading?
Active names on this release include "PROFESSIONAL PEDIATRICS", "LI - Umatilla/Leesburg/Tavares", "LEESBURG PEDIATRICS PA" and "CLARK CLINIC INC". Discipline counts: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental across 22 designated rows.
Do Lake County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
How does Lake County's FTE burden compare inside FL?
22 active designations and ~48 FTE published need. Lake County sits among the top three county rank positions in FL, at rank 3 of 67. Score-nearest counties on this release include Bastrop County, TX and Dane County, WI.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 12069. 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 12069 (Lake County, FL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 22; peak score 17.0; signature 48 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.