AL · Healthcare shortage profile
Escambia County, AL
Peak severity leads this reading: Escambia County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 36,757.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 36,757
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 53.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Escambia County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Escambia 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 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 Escambia County's active designations would take about 4.8 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.7 primary care, 0.6 mental health, 3.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Escambia County's 7 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Escambia County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Escambia 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
2 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.
Escambia County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
7 Top 30% higher than 70% 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. Escambia County falls in the upper quarter of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 67. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 01053. Population: 36,757.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Escambia County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fountain Correctional Facility | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Buford L. Rolin Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Buford L. Rolin Health Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI - Escambia County | dental | 19.0 |
| Buford L. Rolin Health Clinic | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Escambia County | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Fountain Correctional Facility | primary_care | 9.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Escambia County
Peak severity leads this reading: Escambia County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Escambia County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 21.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Escambia County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 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.
Escambia County falls in the upper quarter of AL 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Escambia County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Escambia County's active designations: about 4.8 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 Escambia 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
Escambia County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Escambia County's 7 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Escambia County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Escambia County's mental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “Fountain Correctional Facility”).
Pinellas County, FL
21.0 mental score · 959,107 pop.
Ocean County, NJ
21.0 mental score · 637,229 pop.
Greenville County, SC
21.0 mental score · 525,534 pop.
Pinal County, AZ
21.0 mental score · 425,264 pop.
Lancaster County, NE
21.0 mental score · 322,608 pop.
Erie County, PA
21.0 mental score · 270,876 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Escambia County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Escambia County carries an MUA designation (index 53.5; 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 Escambia County's peak score of 21.0?
- "Fountain Correctional Facility" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 1,245 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/06/2024). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 7 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Escambia County's severity reading?
- After "Fountain Correctional Facility", the next active names on this release are "Fountain Correctional Facility", "Buford L. Rolin Health Clinic", "Buford L. Rolin Health Clinic" and "LI - Escambia County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Escambia County's high-severity geography?
- Escambia County's 7 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 "Fountain Correctional Facility".
- How does Escambia County's peak severity sit inside AL?
- Escambia County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Escambia County falls in the upper quarter of AL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 67. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 01053. 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 01053 (Escambia County, AL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.