Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

IA · Healthcare shortage profile

Chickasaw County, IA

Peak severity leads this reading: Chickasaw County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 12,012.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
12,012
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
57.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Chickasaw 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
2
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume
C+
Healthcare Access Score
64/100
Chickasaw County, IA

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.

Primary care C+
15.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health B+
16.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental B+
15.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status C+
IMU 57.0
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap D
3.0 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Few Census ZCTAs touch Chickasaw County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Chickasaw County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

4 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 Chickasaw County, IA 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 Chickasaw County's active designations would take about 3.6 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, 3.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 40% of Chickasaw 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).

  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, Chickasaw County carries 5 active designations, above 47% 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. Chickasaw County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 99. 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: 19037. Population: 12,012.

Below high-priority line

Chickasaw County is designated, but no active score clears 17

5 active designations sit on this FIPS (2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 57.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 16.0 Below priority line
Dental 15.0 Below priority line

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 Chickasaw County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Northeast Iowa Area mental_health 16.0
Nashua Clinic mental_health 16.0
Nashua Clinic primary_care 15.0
Nashua Clinic dental 15.0
Chickasaw County primary_care 7.0

Moderate-burden reading for Chickasaw County

Peak severity leads this reading: Chickasaw County's highest active HPSA score is 16.0, still below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Chickasaw 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 15.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Chickasaw 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.

Chickasaw County falls in the upper half of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 36 of 99. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Chickasaw County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Chickasaw County's active designations: about 3.6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Counties near Chickasaw 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 “Northeast Iowa Area”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Chickasaw County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Chickasaw County carries an MUA designation (index 57.0; 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 Chickasaw County's peak score of 16.0?
"Northeast Iowa Area" leads the active set (score 16.0; mental health; 68,250 people in the service area; ~3.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/13/2024). Below 17 the shortage is formal but outside HRSA's high-priority NHSC tier. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Chickasaw County's severity reading?
After "Northeast Iowa Area", the next active names on this release are "Northeast Iowa Area", "NASHUA CLINIC" and "Chickasaw County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Chickasaw County's high-severity geography?
Chickasaw 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 "Northeast Iowa Area".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19037. 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 19037 (Chickasaw County, IA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 16.0; signature peak score 16.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.