Medically Underserved Area Designated · below priority line

IA · Healthcare shortage profile

Bremer County, IA

Designation volume is the standout signal for Bremer County: 10 active HPSA records, above 83% of real US counties. Population 24,988.

Active HPSAs
10
Population
24,988
Peak shortage score
16.0
MUA Index
53.0

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bremer County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.

10
Active HPSA designations
4
Mental-health shortages
16
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 17%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Bremer 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 Bremer County's active designations would take about 3.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.3 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  2. 40% of Bremer County's 10 active designations are mental health.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).

  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.

Bremer County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

13 Census ZCTAs intersect Bremer 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

5 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

Designated volume without a high-priority score

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bremer County carries 10 active designations, above 83% 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. Bremer County falls in the upper quarter of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 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: 19017. Population: 24,988.

Below high-priority line

Bremer County is designated, but no active score clears 17

10 active designations sit on this FIPS (3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 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: 53.0

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 14.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 15.0

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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Bremer County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Northeast Iowa Area mental_health 16.0
Janesville Clinic mental_health 16.0
Women's Clinic mental_health 16.0
Christophel Clinic mental_health 16.0
Christophel Clinic dental 15.0
Women's Clinic dental 15.0
Janesville Clinic dental 15.0
Christophel Clinic primary_care 14.0
Janesville Clinic primary_care 14.0
Women's Clinic primary_care 14.0

Heavy-burden reading for Bremer County

Designation volume is the standout signal for Bremer County: 10 active HPSA records, above 83% of real US counties. Bremer 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 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 15.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places Bremer County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 16.0. 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.

Bremer County falls in the upper quarter of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 99. 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.

High-volume peers of Bremer County (10 active)

One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 10 across the national corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Bremer County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Bremer County carries an MUA designation (index 53.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
What makes up Bremer County's 10 active HPSA designations?
10 Designated rows (3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Northeast Iowa Area" (score 16.0; mental health; 68,250 people in the service area; ~3.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 11/13/2024). Also active: "JANESVILLE CLINIC", "WOMEN'S CLINIC", "CHRISTOPHEL CLINIC". Above 83% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for Bremer County?
Peak active score 16.0 in mental health stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 10 rows.
What clinician need sits behind Bremer County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 3.3 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Northeast Iowa Area" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow Bremer County's designation volume?
10 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 Bremer County's volume compare inside IA?
10 active HPSA rows · peak 16.0. Bremer County falls in the upper quarter of IA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 13 of 99. Score-nearest counties on this release include Roanoke County, VA and Kent County, MI.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 19017. 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 19017 (Bremer County, IA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 16.0; signature 10 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.