IL · Healthcare shortage profile
Washington County, IL
MUA standing opens this profile: Washington County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 0.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Population 13,761.
- Active HPSAs
- 2
- Population
- 13,761
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- 0.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Washington County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 2 active HPSA designations, more than 10% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 2
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 90%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Washington County, IL 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.
-
Closing Washington County's active designations would take about 21 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.8 primary care, 17 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
50% of Washington County's 2 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 2).
-
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.
Washington County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Washington 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, Washington County carries 2 active designations, above 10% 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. Washington County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 85 of 102. 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: 17189. Population: 13,761.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 2 active (designated) HPSAs in Washington County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Southern IL Mhca | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Washington County | primary_care | 15.0 |
Light-burden reading for Washington County
MUA standing opens this profile: Washington County sits inside a Medically Underserved Area indexed at 0.0 (lower index = greater measured need). Washington 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. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 0.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Washington County carries 2 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 10% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Washington County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 85 of 102. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Washington County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Washington County's active designations: about 21 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
Score neighbours for Washington County's MUA-led profile
One peer set beside the MUA standing: nearest primary-care HPSA score (15.0 here).
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Washington County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Washington County carries an MUA designation (index 0.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- How do Washington County's HPSA rows sit beside the MUA?
- 2 active HPSA designations (1 primary care / 1 mental health / 0 dental); highest-scored active name is "Southern IL MHCA" (score 16.0; mental health; 270,000 people in the service area; ~17 FTE still needed on the record; designated 10/30/2025). MUA and HPSA are separate tracks, one does not substitute for the other.
- What does the 16.0 HPSA score mean next to the MUA?
- 16.0 sits below the 17-point high-priority HPSA line. MUA index 0.0 remains a separate need measure.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 17189. This county’s designations come from BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_PC.csv (primary care) and BCD_HPSA_FCT_DET_MH.csv (mental health) — 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 17189 (Washington County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 2; peak score 16.0; signature MUA index 0.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.