AL · Healthcare shortage profile
Calhoun County, AL
Peak severity leads this reading: Calhoun County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 116,441.
- Active HPSAs
- 4
- Population
- 116,441
- Peak shortage score
- 17.0
- MUA Index
- 61.9
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Calhoun County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 4 active HPSA designations, more than 44% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 4
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 17
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 56%
- 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 Calhoun 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.
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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.
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Closing Calhoun County's active designations would take about 2.3 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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50% of Calhoun County's 4 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 4).
Calhoun County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Calhoun 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
6 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.
Calhoun County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
4 Top 56% higher than 44% of 3,289 real US counties
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. Calhoun County falls in the upper half of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 01015. Population: 116,441.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 4 active (designated) HPSAs in Calhoun County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Med Ctr Rhc Piedmont | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Med Ctr Rhc Piedmont | dental | 17.0 |
| Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Med Ctr Rhc Piedmont | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI - Calhoun County | primary_care | 12.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Calhoun County
Peak severity leads this reading: Calhoun County's highest active HPSA score is 17.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Calhoun County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 17.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Calhoun County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 44% of counties) with 4 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Calhoun County falls in the upper half of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 67. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Calhoun 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
1 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 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 Calhoun 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 Calhoun County's designations
Calhoun County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Calhoun County's 4 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Calhoun County's 17.0. Open Thurston County, WA or Boone County, MO next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Calhoun County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Calhoun County carries an MUA designation (index 61.9; 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 Calhoun County's peak score of 17.0?
- "ATRIUM HEALTH FLOYD CHEROKEE MED CTR RHC PIEDMONT" leads the active set (score 17.0; mental health; 127,492 people in the service area; designated 10/05/2023). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 4 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Calhoun County's severity reading?
- After "ATRIUM HEALTH FLOYD CHEROKEE MED CTR RHC PIEDMONT", the next active names on this release are "ATRIUM HEALTH FLOYD CHEROKEE MED CTR RHC PIEDMONT" and "LI - Calhoun County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Calhoun County's high-severity geography?
- Calhoun County's 4 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 "ATRIUM HEALTH FLOYD CHEROKEE MED CTR RHC PIEDMONT".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 01015. 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 01015 (Calhoun County, AL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 4; peak score 17.0; signature peak score 17.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.