MS · Healthcare shortage profile
Lauderdale County, MS
Peak severity leads this reading: Lauderdale County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 72,984.
- Active HPSAs
- 11
- Population
- 72,984
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 53.7
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lauderdale County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 11 active HPSA designations, more than 84% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 11
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Primary-care shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 16%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lauderdale County, MS 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 25.0 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 Lauderdale County's active designations would take about 21 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.2 primary care, 9.6 mental health, 5.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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36.4% of Lauderdale County's 11 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 11).
Lauderdale County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Lauderdale 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
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, Lauderdale County carries 11 active designations, above 84% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Lauderdale County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 82. 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: 28075. Population: 72,984.
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 11 active (designated) HPSAs in Lauderdale County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Meridian Health Clinic Inc | primary_care | 25.0 |
| Greater Meridian Health Clinic Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| East Mississippi Medical Clinic-Rhc | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Greater Meridian Health Clinic Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI - Lauderdale County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| East Mississippi Medical Clinic-Rhc | mental_health | 19.0 |
| East Mississippi Medical Clinic-Rhc | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Lauderdale County | dental | 19.0 |
| Mental Health Catchment Area 10 | mental_health | 16.0 |
| East Mississippi State Hospital | mental_health | 8.0 |
| East Mississippi Correctional Facility | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lauderdale County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lauderdale County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Lauderdale County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 25.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.7, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lauderdale County above 84% of real US counties (11 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Lauderdale County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 82. 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.
Lauderdale 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
4 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Lauderdale County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lauderdale County's active designations: about 21 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 Lauderdale County, MS · 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
Lauderdale County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lauderdale County's 11 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 MS before you draw conclusions from a single score. MS 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 Lauderdale County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Likiep County, MH and Aur County, MH.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lauderdale County's primary score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC”).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lauderdale County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lauderdale County carries an MUA designation (index 53.7; 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 Lauderdale County's peak score of 25.0?
- "GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; primary care; 57,382 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 11 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lauderdale County's severity reading?
- After "GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC", the next active names on this release are "GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC", "GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC", "EAST MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CLINIC-RHC" and "GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~21 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lauderdale County's high-severity geography?
- Lauderdale County's 11 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 "GREATER MERIDIAN HEALTH CLINIC INC".
- How does Lauderdale County's peak severity sit inside MS?
- Lauderdale County holds 11 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Lauderdale County falls in the upper quarter of MS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 82. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Likiep County, MH and Aur County, MH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 28075. 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 28075 (Lauderdale County, MS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 11; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.