MI · Healthcare shortage profile
Alpena County, MI
Peak severity leads this reading: Alpena County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 28,907.
- Active HPSAs
- 8
- Population
- 28,907
- Peak shortage score
- 21.0
- MUA Index
- 57.4
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alpena County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 8 active HPSA designations, more than 73% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 8
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 21
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 27%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Alpena 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 Alpena County's active designations would take about 4.7 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.2 primary care, 2.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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37.5% of Alpena County's 8 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 8).
Few Census ZCTAs touch Alpena County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Alpena County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
3 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.
Alpena County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
8 Top 27% higher than 73% 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. Alpena County falls in the upper half of MI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 38 of 83. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 26007. Population: 28,907.
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 8 active (designated) HPSAs in Alpena County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Alcona Citizens For Health Inc | dental | 21.0 |
| Alcona Citizens For Health Inc | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mymichigan Family Medicine | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mymichigan Family Medicine | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Alpena County | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Alpena County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Alcona Citizens For Health Inc | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Mymichigan Family Medicine | mental_health | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Alpena County
Peak severity leads this reading: Alpena County's highest active HPSA score is 21.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Alpena County's deepest shortage reading, 21.0 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 17.0 of 25; Mental health reads 13.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.4, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Alpena County above 73% of real US counties (8 active designations: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 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.
Alpena County falls in the upper half of MI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 38 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.
Alpena 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
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Alpena County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Alpena County's active designations: about 4.7 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 Alpena 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
Alpena County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Alpena County's 8 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 Alpena County's 21.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Ventura County, CA and Monterey County, CA.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Alpena County's dental score of 21.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 21.0 (severity lead on this page is “ALCONA CITIZENS FOR HEALTH INC”).
Ventura County, CA
21.0 dental score · 843,843 pop.
Monterey County, CA
21.0 dental score · 439,035 pop.
Lorain County, OH
21.0 dental score · 312,964 pop.
Jefferson County, NY
21.0 dental score · 116,721 pop.
Flathead County, MT
21.0 dental score · 104,357 pop.
Putnam County, WV
21.0 dental score · 57,440 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Alpena County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Alpena County carries an MUA designation (index 57.4; 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 Alpena County's peak score of 21.0?
- "ALCONA CITIZENS FOR HEALTH INC" leads the active set (score 21.0; dental; 29,688 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 8 active rows: 3 primary care, 2 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Alpena County's severity reading?
- After "ALCONA CITIZENS FOR HEALTH INC", the next active names on this release are "ALCONA CITIZENS FOR HEALTH INC", "ALCONA CITIZENS FOR HEALTH INC", "MYMICHIGAN FAMILY MEDICINE" and "MYMICHIGAN FAMILY MEDICINE". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Alpena County's high-severity geography?
- Alpena County's 8 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 "ALCONA CITIZENS FOR HEALTH INC".
- How does Alpena County's peak severity sit inside MI?
- Alpena County holds 8 active HPSA rows with peak 21.0. Alpena County falls in the upper half of MI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 38 of 83. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Ventura County, CA and Monterey County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 26007. 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 26007 (Alpena County, MI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 8; peak score 21.0; signature peak score 21.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.