KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Bell County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Bell County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 24,097.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 24,097
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 53.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bell 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
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Bell 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.
-
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 Bell County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.3 primary care, 6.6 mental health, 3.1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Bell 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).
Bell County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Bell 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
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, Bell 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. Bell County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. 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: 21013. Population: 24,097.
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 Bell County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast Family Practice, Psc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 5 Limited LI | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 5 Limited LI | dental | 19.0 |
| Southeast Family Practice, Psc | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Bell County | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Bell County | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Family Health Care Associates 5 Limited LI | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Southeast Family Practice, Psc | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Cumberland River Mhca | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Bell County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bell County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Bell 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Bell 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 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.
Bell County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. 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.
Bell 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 Bell County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bell County's active designations: about 13 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 Bell 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
Bell County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bell 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 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 Bell County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with DuPage County, IL and Denver County, CO.
Showing 6 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Bell County's primary score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “SOUTHEAST FAMILY PRACTICE, PSC”).
DuPage County, IL
19.0 primary score · 932,877 pop.
Denver County, CO
19.0 primary score · 715,522 pop.
Ramsey County, MN
19.0 primary score · 552,352 pop.
Knox County, TN
19.0 primary score · 478,971 pop.
Stark County, OH
19.0 primary score · 374,853 pop.
Orange County, CA
19.0 primary score · 3,186,989 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bell County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bell County carries an MUA designation (index 53.0; 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 Bell County's peak score of 19.0?
- "SOUTHEAST FAMILY PRACTICE, PSC" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 55,334 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 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Bell County's severity reading?
- After "SOUTHEAST FAMILY PRACTICE, PSC", the next active names on this release are "SOUTHEAST FAMILY PRACTICE, PSC", "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 5 LIMITED LI", "FAMILY HEALTH CARE ASSOCIATES 5 LIMITED LI" and "SOUTHEAST FAMILY PRACTICE, PSC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Bell County's high-severity geography?
- Bell 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 "SOUTHEAST FAMILY PRACTICE, PSC".
- How does Bell County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Bell County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 19.0. Bell County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include DuPage County, IL and Denver County, CO.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21013. 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 21013 (Bell County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.