WI · Healthcare shortage profile
Forest County, WI
Peak severity leads this reading: Forest County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 9,179.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 9,179
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 57.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Forest County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 9 active HPSA designations, more than 75% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 9
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Forest County, WI 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 22.0 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.
-
Closing Forest County's active designations would take about 2.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.1 primary care, 0.6 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
33.3% of Forest County's 9 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 9).
Forest County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
11 Census ZCTAs intersect Forest 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
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.
Forest County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
9 Top 25% higher than 75% 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. Forest County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 71. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 55041. Population: 9,179.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Forest County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mole Lake Health Center | dental | 22.0 |
| LI - Forest County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Potawatomi Health Center | dental | 16.0 |
| Mole Lake Health Center | primary_care | 15.0 |
| Mole Lake Health Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Forest County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Potawatomi Health Center | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Forest County | dental | 14.0 |
| Potawatomi Health Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Forest County
Peak severity leads this reading: Forest County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Forest County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 15.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Forest County above 75% of real US counties (9 active designations: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 22.0. 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.
Forest County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 71. 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.
Forest 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 Forest County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Forest County's active designations: about 2.1 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 Forest County, WI · 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
Forest County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Forest County's 9 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 WI before you draw conclusions from a single score. WI 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 Forest County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Washington County, OR and Anchorage County, AK.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Forest County's dental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “MOLE LAKE HEALTH CENTER”).
Washington County, OR
22.0 dental score · 600,372 pop.
Anchorage County, AK
22.0 dental score · 291,247 pop.
Kings County, CA
22.0 dental score · 152,486 pop.
Cattaraugus County, NY
22.0 dental score · 77,042 pop.
Knox County, OH
22.0 dental score · 62,721 pop.
Itasca County, MN
22.0 dental score · 45,014 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Forest County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Forest County carries an MUA designation (index 57.5; 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 Forest County's peak score of 22.0?
- "MOLE LAKE HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 4,044 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 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Forest County's severity reading?
- After "MOLE LAKE HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "MOLE LAKE HEALTH CENTER", "LI - Forest County", "POTAWATOMI HEALTH CENTER" and "MOLE LAKE HEALTH CENTER". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Forest County's high-severity geography?
- Forest County's 9 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 "MOLE LAKE HEALTH CENTER".
- How does Forest County's peak severity sit inside WI?
- Forest County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Forest County falls in the upper quarter of WI counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 71. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Washington County, OR and Anchorage County, AK.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 55041. 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 55041 (Forest County, WI), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.