MT · Healthcare shortage profile
Blaine County, MT
Peak severity leads this reading: Blaine County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,044.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 7,044
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 48.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Blaine 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
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Blaine County, MT 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 24.0 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 Blaine County's active designations would take about 5.8 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.8 primary care, 4 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Blaine 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).
Blaine County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Blaine 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
2 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, Blaine County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Blaine County falls in the upper quarter of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 56. 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: 30005. Population: 7,044.
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 Blaine County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle Child Health Station | dental | 24.0 |
| Fort Belknap Hospital (Harlem Hospital) | dental | 22.0 |
| Fort Belknap Hospital (Harlem Hospital) | primary_care | 21.0 |
| North-Central Montana | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Eagle Child Health Station | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Fort Belknap Hospital (Harlem Hospital) | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Eagle Child Health Station | mental_health | 19.0 |
| LI-Hill/Blaine Counties | primary_care | 13.0 |
| LI - Blaine/Hill Counties | dental | 13.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Blaine County
Peak severity leads this reading: Blaine County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Blaine County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Blaine 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 24.0. 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.
Blaine County falls in the upper quarter of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 56. 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.
Blaine 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
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Blaine County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Blaine County's active designations: about 5.8 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 Blaine County, MT · 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
Blaine County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Blaine 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 MT before you draw conclusions from a single score. MT 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 Blaine County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Caroline County, MD and Aibonito County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Blaine County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “Eagle Child Health Station”).
Caroline County, MD
24.0 dental score · 33,293 pop.
Aibonito County, PR
24.0 dental score · 24,637 pop.
Hughes County, SD
24.0 dental score · 17,765 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
24.0 dental score · 274,534 pop.
Sheboygan County, WI
24.0 dental score · 118,034 pop.
Apache County, AZ
24.0 dental score · 66,021 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Blaine County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Blaine County carries an MUA designation (index 48.1; 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 Blaine County's peak score of 24.0?
- "Eagle Child Health Station" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 4,533 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 Blaine County's severity reading?
- After "Eagle Child Health Station", the next active names on this release are "Eagle Child Health Station", "Fort Belknap Hospital (Harlem Hospital)", "Fort Belknap Hospital (Harlem Hospital)" and "North-Central Montana". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~5.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Blaine County's high-severity geography?
- Blaine 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 "Eagle Child Health Station".
- How does Blaine County's peak severity sit inside MT?
- Blaine County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Blaine County falls in the upper quarter of MT counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 56. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Caroline County, MD and Aibonito County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 30005. 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 30005 (Blaine County, MT), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.