IL · Healthcare shortage profile
Menard County, IL
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Menard County's active designations would take about 35 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 12,297.
- Active HPSAs
- 1
- Population
- 12,297
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- 61.0
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Menard County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 1 active HPSA designation, more than 2% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 1
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Mental-health shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 98%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Menard County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Menard County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Menard 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.
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Peak HPSA score 18.0 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 Menard County's active designations would take about 35 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 35 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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100% of Menard County's 1 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental (denominator 1).
Menard County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
1 Top 98% higher than 2% 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. Menard County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 96 of 102. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 17129. Population: 12,297.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only · mental health only on this FIPS. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 1 active (designated) HPSAs in Menard County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| LI Central Area Mhca | mental_health | 18.0 |
Light-burden reading for Menard County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Menard County's active designations would take about 35 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Menard County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 18.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Menard County carries 1 active designation and sits below the national mid-pack (above 2% 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.
Menard County falls in the lower half of IL counties by active-designation volume, at rank 96 of 102. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Acting on Menard County's high-priority mental health
Menard County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Menard County's high-priority mental health designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
- See how the county's mental health burden compares with the rest of IL before drawing conclusions from a single score. IL overview
- Check the provider-to-population ratio behind an HPSA score against HRSA's designation thresholds. 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 matching designation count to Menard County's 1
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 1 - the inventory behind the ~35 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Menard County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Menard County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Menard County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~35 FTE, with mental health the largest slice (35). "LI Central Area MHCA" is the highest-scored active row (score 18.0; mental health; 145,836 people in the service area; ~35 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/18/2026). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Menard County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "LI Central Area MHCA". Discipline counts: 0 primary care, 1 mental health, 0 dental across 1 designated rows.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 17129. This county’s designations come from 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 17129 (Menard County, IL), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 1; peak score 18.0; signature 35 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.