AL · Healthcare shortage profile
Hale County, AL
Peak severity leads this reading: Hale County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 14,785.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 14,785
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 55.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hale County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Primary-care shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Hale County, AL 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 22.0 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.
-
Closing Hale County's active designations would take about 6.3 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.2 primary care, 1.7 mental health, 1.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Hale County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Hale County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Hale 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, Hale County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Hale County falls in the upper quarter of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 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: 01065. Population: 14,785.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Hale County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Hale County Hospital Clinic | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Moundville Medical Associates | primary_care | 21.0 |
| LI - Hale County | dental | 20.0 |
| Hale County Hospital Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Hale County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Hale County Hospital Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Moundville Medical Associates | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Moundville Medical Associates | dental | 17.0 |
| Mhca-10 | mental_health | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Hale County
Peak severity leads this reading: Hale County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Hale County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 22.0 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 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Hale County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.
Hale County falls in the upper quarter of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 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.
Hale 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
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Hale County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hale County's active designations: about 6.3 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 Hale County, AL · 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
Hale County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Hale County's 9 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 AL before you draw conclusions from a single score. AL 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 Hale County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Bernalillo County, NM and Lake County, OH.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Hale County's primary score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “HALE COUNTY HOSPITAL CLINIC”).
Bernalillo County, NM
22.0 primary score · 676,444 pop.
Lake County, OH
22.0 primary score · 232,603 pop.
Guam County, GU
22.0 primary score · 153,836 pop.
Jackson County, IL
22.0 primary score · 52,974 pop.
Avoyelles County, LA
22.0 primary score · 39,693 pop.
Harris County, TX
22.0 primary score · 4,731,145 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Hale County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Hale County carries an MUA designation (index 55.1; 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 Hale County's peak score of 22.0?
- "HALE COUNTY HOSPITAL CLINIC" leads the active set (score 22.0; primary care; 25,612 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Hale County's severity reading?
- After "HALE COUNTY HOSPITAL CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "HALE COUNTY HOSPITAL CLINIC", "MOUNDVILLE MEDICAL ASSOCIATES", "LI - Hale County" and "HALE COUNTY HOSPITAL CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Hale County's high-severity geography?
- Hale County's 9 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 "HALE COUNTY HOSPITAL CLINIC".
- How does Hale County's peak severity sit inside AL?
- Hale County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Hale County falls in the upper quarter of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 67. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Bernalillo County, NM and Lake County, OH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 01065. 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 01065 (Hale County, AL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.