KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Morgan County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Morgan County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 13,726.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 13,726
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 54.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Morgan 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Morgan 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 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 Morgan County's active designations would take about 9.5 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.9 primary care, 2.7 mental health, 3.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Morgan 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).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Morgan County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Morgan 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.
Morgan County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. Morgan County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 16 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21175. Population: 13,726.
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 Morgan County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex | mental_health | 21.0 |
| United Clinics OF West Liberty | primary_care | 19.0 |
| United Clinics OF West Liberty | dental | 19.0 |
| United Clinics OF West Liberty | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Morgan County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| LI-Morgan County | dental | 17.0 |
| Morgan County | mental_health | 16.0 |
| CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex | dental | 12.0 |
| CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex | primary_care | 6.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Morgan County
Peak severity leads this reading: Morgan County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Morgan 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 19.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Morgan 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 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.
Morgan 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Morgan County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Morgan County's active designations: about 9.5 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 Morgan 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
Morgan County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Morgan 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Morgan County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Prince William County, VA and Orange County, NY.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Morgan County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Morgan County carries an MUA designation (index 54.0; 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 Morgan County's peak score of 21.0?
- "CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex" leads the active set (score 21.0; mental health; 3,828 people in the service area; ~1.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 04/07/2026). 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 Morgan County's severity reading?
- After "CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex", the next active names on this release are "CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex", "UNITED CLINICS OF WEST LIBERTY", "LI-Morgan County" and "Morgan County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~9.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Morgan County's high-severity geography?
- Morgan 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 "CF-Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex".
- How does Morgan County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Morgan County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Morgan 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 Prince William County, VA and Orange County, NY.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21175. 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 21175 (Morgan County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.