KS · Healthcare shortage profile
Barton County, KS
Peak severity leads this reading: Barton County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 25,493.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 25,493
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 57.8
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Barton County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Barton County, KS 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 19.0 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 Barton County's active designations would take about 3.2 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.4 primary care, 1.3 mental health, 0.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Barton County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Barton County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Barton 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.
Barton County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Barton County falls in the upper quarter of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 20 of 105. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 20009. Population: 25,493.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Barton County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Heart OF Kansas Family Health Care Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Heart OF Kansas Family Health Care Inc | dental | 17.0 |
| LI-Barton County | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Mhca-20 | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Heart OF Kansas Family Health Care Inc | mental_health | 14.0 |
| LI-Barton County | dental | 10.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Barton County
Peak severity leads this reading: Barton County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Barton County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 19.0 of 25, the county's highest severity reading and past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Mental health reads 14.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Barton County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Barton County falls in the upper quarter of KS counties by active-designation volume, at rank 20 of 105. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Barton 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
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Barton County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Barton County's active designations: about 3.2 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 Barton County, KS · 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 Barton County's designations
Barton County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Barton County's 6 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 KS before you draw conclusions from a single score. KS 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.
Nearby primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Barton County's 19.0. Open DuPage County, IL or Denver County, CO next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Barton County's primary score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active primary HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “HEART OF KANSAS FAMILY HEALTH CARE INC”).
DuPage County, IL
19.0 primary score · 932,877 pop.
Denver County, CO
19.0 primary score · 715,522 pop.
Ramsey County, MN
19.0 primary score · 552,352 pop.
Knox County, TN
19.0 primary score · 478,971 pop.
Stark County, OH
19.0 primary score · 374,853 pop.
Orange County, CA
19.0 primary score · 3,186,989 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Barton County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Barton County carries an MUA designation (index 57.8; 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 Barton County's peak score of 19.0?
- "HEART OF KANSAS FAMILY HEALTH CARE INC" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 8,915 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 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Barton County's severity reading?
- After "HEART OF KANSAS FAMILY HEALTH CARE INC", the next active names on this release are "HEART OF KANSAS FAMILY HEALTH CARE INC", "HEART OF KANSAS FAMILY HEALTH CARE INC", "LI-Barton County" and "MHCA-20". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.2 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Barton County's high-severity geography?
- Barton County's 6 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 "HEART OF KANSAS FAMILY HEALTH CARE INC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 20009. 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 20009 (Barton County, KS), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.