KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Breathitt County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Breathitt County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 13,718.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 13,718
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 53.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt County's active designations would take about 2.9 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.4 primary care, 0.9 mental health, 1.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Breathitt 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).
Breathitt County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Breathitt 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, Breathitt 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. Breathitt 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: 21025. Population: 13,718.
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 Breathitt County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Aaron K Jonan Memorial Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| United Clinics Jackson | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Aaron K Jonan Memorial Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Aaron K Jonan Memorial Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| United Clinics Jackson | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - Breathitt County | dental | 19.0 |
| Breathitt County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| United Clinics Jackson | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Breathitt County | primary_care | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Breathitt County
Peak severity leads this reading: Breathitt County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Breathitt County's shortage runs equally deep in primary care and mental health 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. 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 Breathitt 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.
Breathitt 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.
Breathitt 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 Breathitt County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Breathitt County's active designations: about 2.9 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 Breathitt 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
Breathitt County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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 Breathitt 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 “AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC”).
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 Breathitt County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Breathitt 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 Breathitt County's peak score of 19.0?
- "AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 29,311 people in the service area; designated 12/21/2010). 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 Breathitt County's severity reading?
- After "AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC", "UNITED CLINICS JACKSON", "AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC" and "AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Breathitt County's high-severity geography?
- Breathitt 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 "AARON K JONAN MEMORIAL CLINIC".
- How does Breathitt County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Breathitt County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 19.0. Breathitt 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: 21025. 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 21025 (Breathitt 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.