Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

OH · Healthcare shortage profile

Ottawa County, OH

Peak severity leads this reading: Ottawa County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 40,364.

Active HPSAs
2
Population
40,364
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
58.6

Light-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ottawa County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

2
Active HPSA designations
1
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 90%
US counties by volume

Dense ZCTA lattice over Ottawa County

Ottawa County intersects 20 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.

Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county

8 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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ottawa County, OH 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.

  1. Closing Ottawa County's active designations would take about 4 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2 primary care, 2 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 50% of Ottawa County's 2 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 2).

  3. Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.

    Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.

Corpus placement

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ottawa County carries 2 active designations, above 10% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.

State peer position. Ottawa County falls in the lower half of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 68 of 88. 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: 39123. Population: 40,364.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 58.6

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 10.0
Mental Health 16.0

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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Ottawa County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Seneca-Ottawa-Sandusky-Wyandot Mhca mental_health 16.0
Ottawa County primary_care 10.0

Light-burden reading for Ottawa County

Peak severity leads this reading: Ottawa County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Ottawa County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 16.0 of 25, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 10.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 58.6, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Ottawa County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.

Ottawa County falls in the lower half of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 68 of 88. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.

Light-volume FTE gap for Ottawa County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ottawa County's active designations: about 4 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Ottawa County's mental score of 16.0

One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 16.0 (severity lead on this page is “Seneca-Ottawa-Sandusky-Wyandot MHCA”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ottawa County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Ottawa County carries an MUA designation (index 58.6; 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 Ottawa County's peak score of 16.0?
"Seneca-Ottawa-Sandusky-Wyandot MHCA" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 22,056 people in the service area; ~2 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/11/2025). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 2 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Ottawa County's severity reading?
After "Seneca-Ottawa-Sandusky-Wyandot MHCA", the next active names on this release are "Seneca-Ottawa-Sandusky-Wyandot MHCA" and "Ottawa County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 39123. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 39123 (Ottawa County, OH), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.