MI · Healthcare shortage profile
Van Buren County, MI
Peak severity leads this reading: Van Buren County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 75,587.
- Active HPSAs
- 23
- Population
- 75,587
- Peak shortage score
- 26.0
- MUA Index
- 59.3
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Van Buren County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 23 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 23
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Dental shortages
- 26
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Van Buren 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 26.0 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 Buren County's active designations would take about 13 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 6.9 primary care, 5.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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34.8% of Van Buren County's 23 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 8 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 23).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Van Buren County
Van Buren County intersects 23 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
11 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 Buren County carries 23 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Van Buren County falls in the upper quarter of MI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 83. 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: 26159. Population: 75,587.
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 23 active (designated) HPSAs in Van Buren County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Intercare Community Health Network | dental | 26.0 |
| Intercare Community Health Network | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Intercare Community Health Network | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care-Bangor | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care - Paw Paw | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital Primary Care-Hartford | primary_care | 16.0 |
| South Haven Community Hospital Rhc | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care - Decatur | primary_care | 16.0 |
| LI - Van Buren County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care - Decatur | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care-Blue Star | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care - Paw Paw | mental_health | 15.0 |
| South Haven Community Hospital Rhc | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital Primary Care-Hartford | dental | 15.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care-Blue Star | dental | 15.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care - Paw Paw | dental | 15.0 |
| LI-Van Buren County | dental | 15.0 |
| South Haven Community Hospital Rhc | dental | 15.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care-Bangor | dental | 15.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care - Decatur | dental | 15.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care-Blue Star | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Bronson Lakeview Family Care-Bangor | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Corewell Health Watervliet Hospital Primary Care-Hartford | mental_health | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Van Buren County
Peak severity leads this reading: Van Buren County's highest active HPSA score is 26.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Van Buren County's deepest shortage reading, 26.0 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 19.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 59.3, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Van Buren County above 96% of real US counties (23 active designations: 8 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 26.0. 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.
Van Buren County falls in the upper quarter of MI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 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.
Van Buren 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
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
7 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Van Buren County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Van Buren County's active designations: about 13 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 Buren County, MI · 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
Van Buren County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Van Buren County's 23 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 MI before you draw conclusions from a single score. MI 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Van Buren County's 26.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Orange County, FL and Lee County, FL.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Van Buren County's dental score of 26.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 26.0 (severity lead on this page is “INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK”).
Orange County, FL
26.0 dental score · 1,429,908 pop.
Lee County, FL
26.0 dental score · 760,822 pop.
Sonoma County, CA
26.0 dental score · 488,863 pop.
Albany County, NY
26.0 dental score · 314,848 pop.
Maui County, HI
26.0 dental score · 164,754 pop.
Sumter County, FL
26.0 dental score · 129,752 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Van Buren County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Van Buren County carries an MUA designation (index 59.3; 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 Van Buren County's peak score of 26.0?
- "INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK" leads the active set (score 26.0; dental; 74,768 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 23 active rows: 8 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Van Buren County's severity reading?
- After "INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK", the next active names on this release are "INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK", "INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK", "INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK" and "BRONSON LAKEVIEW FAMILY CARE-BANGOR". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~13 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Van Buren County's high-severity geography?
- Van Buren County's 23 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 "INTERCARE COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK".
- How does Van Buren County's peak severity sit inside MI?
- Van Buren County holds 23 active HPSA rows with peak 26.0. Van Buren County falls in the upper quarter of MI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 8 of 83. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Orange County, FL and Lee County, FL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 26159. 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 26159 (Van Buren County, MI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 23; peak score 26.0; signature peak score 26.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.