MI · Healthcare shortage profile
Ionia County, MI
Designation volume is the standout signal for Ionia County: 29 active HPSA records, above 97% of real US counties. Population 66,804.
- Active HPSAs
- 29
- Population
- 66,804
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ionia County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 29 active HPSA designations, more than 97% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 29
- Active HPSA designations
- 10
- Mental-health shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 3%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Ionia County, MI 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 Ionia County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 8.6 primary care, 2.5 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.9% of Ionia County's 29 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 11 primary care, 10 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 29).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Ionia County
Ionia County intersects 21 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
9 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.
Ionia County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
29 Top 3% higher than 97% 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. Ionia County sits among the top three county rank positions in MI, at rank 3 of 83. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 26067. Population: 66,804.
Single high-priority discipline
Ionia County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is mental health
Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 10 active mental health designations to Ionia County , with a peak score of 21.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the mental health records.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ionia County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 29 active (designated) HPSAs in Ionia County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ionia Correctional Facility | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Mhca Ionia County | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Smg Ionia | dental | 15.0 |
| Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Multispecialty Center - Ionia | dental | 15.0 |
| Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Family Medicine - Lake Odessa | dental | 15.0 |
| Corewell Health Greenville Hospital Family Medicine - Belding | dental | 15.0 |
| Smg Portland | dental | 15.0 |
| Smg Saranac | dental | 15.0 |
| Smg Ionia | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Smg Portland | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Multispecialty Center - Ionia | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Family Medicine - Lake Odessa | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Corewell Health Greenville Hospital Family Medicine - Belding | primary_care | 14.0 |
| ME-Ionia County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| CF - Richard A. Handlon | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF - Richard A. Handlon | dental | 12.0 |
| Smg Saranac | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Smg Saranac | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Family Medicine - Lake Odessa | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Corewell Health Greenville Hospital Family Medicine - Belding | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Smg Ionia | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Multispecialty Center - Ionia | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Smg Portland | mental_health | 8.0 |
| CF - Richard A. Handlon | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF - Bellamy Creek | primary_care | 6.0 |
| CF - Bellamy Creek | mental_health | 6.0 |
| CF-Michigan Reformatory | primary_care | 3.0 |
| CF - Ionia | primary_care | 3.0 |
| Michigan Reformatory Correctional Facility | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Ionia County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Ionia County: 29 active HPSA records, above 97% of real US counties. Ionia 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 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ionia County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Ionia County above 97% of real US counties (29 active designations: 11 primary care, 10 mental health, 8 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.
Ionia County sits among the top three county rank positions in MI, at rank 3 of 83. 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 Ionia County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ionia County's active designations: about 12 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Acting on Ionia County's high-priority mental health
Ionia County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ionia County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of MI before drawing conclusions from a single score. MI overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 Ionia County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Ionia County (29 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 29 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes up Ionia County's 29 active HPSA designations?
- 29 Designated rows (11 primary care, 10 mental health, 8 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Ionia Correctional Facility" (score 21.0; mental health; 658 people in the service area; ~0.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 12/24/2015). Also active: "MHCA Ionia County", "SMG IONIA", "Corewell Health Pennock Hospital Multispecialty Center - Ionia". Above 97% of real US counties by volume.
- Why is Ionia County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Ionia County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Ionia County?
- Peak active score 21.0 in mental health clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 29 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Ionia County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Ionia Correctional Facility" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Ionia County's designation volume?
- 29 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Ionia County's volume compare inside MI?
- 29 active HPSA rows · peak 21.0. Ionia County sits among the top three county rank positions in MI, at rank 3 of 83. Score-nearest counties on this release include Pinellas County, FL and Ocean County, NJ.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 26067. 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 26067 (Ionia County, MI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 29; peak score 21.0; signature 29 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.