OH · Healthcare shortage profile
Van Wert County, OH
Peak severity leads this reading: Van Wert County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,931.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 28,931
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Van Wert County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 5
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- 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 Van Wert 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.
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Peak HPSA score 25.0 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 Van Wert County's active designations would take about 5.1 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.3 primary care, 4.8 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Van Wert County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
Van Wert County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
14 Census ZCTAs intersect Van Wert 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
6 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, Van Wert County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Van Wert County falls in the upper half of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 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: 39161. Population: 28,931.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Van Wert County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Family Health Care OF Northwest Ohio Inc | dental | 25.0 |
| Family Health Care OF Northwest Ohio Inc | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Family Health Care OF Northwest Ohio Inc | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Mhca 61 | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Van Wert County | primary_care | 7.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Van Wert County
Peak severity leads this reading: Van Wert County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Van Wert County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 on HRSA's 0–26 dental scale, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 22.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Van Wert County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Van Wert County falls in the upper half of OH counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 88. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Van Wert 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Van Wert County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Van Wert County's active designations: about 5.1 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 Van Wert County, OH · 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 Van Wert County's designations
Van Wert County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Van Wert County's 5 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 OH before you draw conclusions from a single score. OH 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.
Nearby dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Van Wert County's 25.0. Open Wayne County, MI or Travis County, TX next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Van Wert County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Van Wert County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Which record sets Van Wert County's peak score of 25.0?
- "FAMILY HEALTH CARE OF NORTHWEST OHIO INC" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 13,695 people in the service area; designated 10/18/2007). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Van Wert County's severity reading?
- After "FAMILY HEALTH CARE OF NORTHWEST OHIO INC", the next active names on this release are "FAMILY HEALTH CARE OF NORTHWEST OHIO INC", "MHCA 61" and "Van Wert County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Van Wert County's high-severity geography?
- Van Wert County's 5 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 "FAMILY HEALTH CARE OF NORTHWEST OHIO INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 39161. 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 39161 (Van Wert County, OH), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.