KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Laurel County, KY
Designation volume is the standout signal for Laurel County: 24 active HPSA records, above 96% of real US counties. Population 62,613.
- Active HPSAs
- 24
- Population
- 62,613
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Laurel County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 24 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 24
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Primary-care shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Laurel County, KY 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 19.0 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 Laurel County's active designations would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.1 primary care, 6.6 mental health, 5.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Laurel County's 24 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 24).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Laurel County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Laurel County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
3 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, Laurel County carries 24 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Laurel County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 120 real counties in KY. 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: 21125. Population: 62,613.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Laurel County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 24 active (designated) HPSAs in Laurel County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Hoskins Medical Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| London Women's Care, LLC | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Family Care Associates 11, PLLC | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Internal Medicine & Geriatric Center OF London | primary_care | 19.0 |
| LI - Laurel County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Adventhealth London Parkway Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Kentucky Family Practice | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Tru Healthcare | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Hoskins Medical Center | dental | 19.0 |
| London Women's Care, LLC | dental | 19.0 |
| Family Care Associates 11, PLLC | dental | 19.0 |
| Tru Healthcare | dental | 19.0 |
| Kentucky Family Practice | dental | 19.0 |
| Internal Medicine & Geriatric Center OF London | dental | 19.0 |
| Adventhealth London Parkway Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Laurel County | dental | 19.0 |
| Kentucky Family Practice | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Family Care Associates 11, PLLC | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Internal Medicine & Geriatric Center OF London | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Adventhealth London Parkway Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| London Women's Care, LLC | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Hoskins Medical Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Tru Healthcare | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cumberland River Mhca | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Laurel County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Laurel County: 24 active HPSA records, above 96% of real US counties. Laurel County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and dental care: both scored 19.0 by HRSA, 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. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Laurel County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Laurel County above 96% of real US counties (24 active designations: 8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 19.0. 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.
Laurel County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 120 real counties in KY. 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.
Laurel 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
8 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Laurel County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Laurel County's active designations: about 20 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 Laurel County, KY · 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
Laurel County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Laurel County's 24 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 KY before you draw conclusions from a single score. KY 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 Laurel County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Kane County, IL and Solano County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Laurel County (24 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 24 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes up Laurel County's 24 active HPSA designations?
- 24 Designated rows (8 primary care, 8 mental health, 8 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "HOSKINS MEDICAL CENTER" (score 19.0; primary care; 78,275 people in the service area; designated 08/04/2022). Also active: "LONDON WOMEN'S CARE, LLC", "FAMILY CARE ASSOCIATES 11, PLLC", "INTERNAL MEDICINE & GERIATRIC CENTER OF LONDON". Above 96% of real US counties by volume.
- Why is Laurel County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Laurel County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Laurel County?
- Peak active score 19.0 in primary care and dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 24 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Laurel County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 20 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "HOSKINS MEDICAL CENTER" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Laurel County's designation volume?
- 24 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Laurel County's volume compare inside KY?
- 24 active HPSA rows · peak 19.0. Laurel County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 120 real counties in KY. Score-nearest counties on this release include Kane County, IL and Solano County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21125. 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 21125 (Laurel County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 24; peak score 19.0; signature 24 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.