KY · Healthcare shortage profile
Lee County, KY
Peak severity leads this reading: Lee County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,395.
- Active HPSAs
- 12
- Population
- 7,395
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 46.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Lee County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 12 active HPSA designations, more than 85% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 12
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 15%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Lee 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 23.0 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 Lee County's active designations would take about 2.5 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.2 primary care, 0.4 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Lee County's 12 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental (denominator 12).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Lee County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Lee County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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.
Lee County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
12 Top 15% higher than 85% 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. Lee County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 120. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 21129. Population: 7,395.
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 12 active (designated) HPSAs in Lee County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Juniper Health, Inc. | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Juniper Health, Inc. | dental | 23.0 |
| Lee County | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Juniper Health, Inc. | primary_care | 19.0 |
| United Clinics OF Kentucky Beattyville | primary_care | 19.0 |
| MD Moore Care Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| MD Moore Care Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| LI-Lee County | dental | 19.0 |
| United Clinics OF Kentucky Beattyville | dental | 19.0 |
| United Clinics OF Kentucky Beattyville | mental_health | 18.0 |
| MD Moore Care Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Lee County | mental_health | 14.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Lee County
Peak severity leads this reading: Lee County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Lee County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 23.0 by HRSA, 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 46.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Lee County above 85% of real US counties (12 active designations: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. 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.
Lee County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 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 Lee County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Lee County's active designations: about 2.5 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 Lee 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
Lee County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Lee County's 12 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 Lee County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with El Paso County, CO and Horry County, SC.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Lee County's mental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “JUNIPER HEALTH, INC.”).
El Paso County, CO
23.0 mental score · 730,395 pop.
Horry County, SC
23.0 mental score · 351,029 pop.
Muscogee County, GA
23.0 mental score · 206,922 pop.
Mesa County, CO
23.0 mental score · 155,703 pop.
Sutter County, CA
23.0 mental score · 99,633 pop.
Harrison County, TX
23.0 mental score · 68,839 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Lee County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Lee County carries an MUA designation (index 46.0; 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 Lee County's peak score of 23.0?
- "JUNIPER HEALTH, INC." leads the active set (score 23.0; mental health; 18,506 people in the service area; designated 12/01/2004). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 12 active rows: 4 primary care, 4 mental health, 4 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Lee County's severity reading?
- After "JUNIPER HEALTH, INC.", the next active names on this release are "JUNIPER HEALTH, INC.", "JUNIPER HEALTH, INC.", "Lee County" and "JUNIPER HEALTH, INC.". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.5 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Lee County's high-severity geography?
- Lee County's 12 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 "JUNIPER HEALTH, INC.".
- How does Lee County's peak severity sit inside KY?
- Lee County holds 12 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Lee County falls in the upper quarter of KY counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 120. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include El Paso County, CO and Horry County, SC.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 21129. 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 21129 (Lee County, KY), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 12; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.