NE · Healthcare shortage profile
Sheridan County, NE
Peak severity leads this reading: Sheridan County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,127.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 5,127
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 48.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sheridan 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Sheridan County, NE 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.
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Closing Sheridan County's active designations would take about 4.3 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.7 primary care, 3 mental health, 0.6 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Sheridan 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).
Sheridan County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Sheridan 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.
Sheridan 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. Sheridan County falls in the upper quarter of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 92. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 31161. Population: 5,127.
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 Sheridan County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gordon Clinic | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Rushville Clinic | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Gordon Clinic | dental | 21.0 |
| Region 1 MH Catchment Area | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Rushville Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| Gordon Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Sheridan County | dental | 15.0 |
| Sheridan County | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Rushville Clinic | primary_care | 12.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Sheridan County
Peak severity leads this reading: Sheridan County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Sheridan County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 22.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 21.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 48.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Sheridan 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.
Sheridan County falls in the upper quarter of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 92. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Sheridan County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Sheridan County's active designations: about 4.3 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 Sheridan County, NE · 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
Sheridan County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Sheridan 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 NE before you draw conclusions from a single score. NE 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 Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Sheridan County's 22.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Collier County, FL and Cook County, IL.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Sheridan County's mental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “GORDON CLINIC”).
Collier County, FL
22.0 mental score · 375,752 pop.
Cook County, IL
22.0 mental score · 5,275,541 pop.
Broward County, FL
22.0 mental score · 1,944,375 pop.
Fulton County, GA
22.0 mental score · 1,066,710 pop.
Essex County, MA
22.0 mental score · 809,829 pop.
Montgomery County, TX
22.0 mental score · 620,443 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Sheridan County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Sheridan County carries an MUA designation (index 48.0; 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 Sheridan County's peak score of 22.0?
- "GORDON CLINIC" leads the active set (score 22.0; mental health; 16,321 people in the service area; designated 06/22/2012). 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 Sheridan County's severity reading?
- After "GORDON CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "GORDON CLINIC", "RUSHVILLE CLINIC", "GORDON CLINIC" and "Region 1 MH Catchment Area". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.3 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Sheridan County's high-severity geography?
- Sheridan 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 "GORDON CLINIC".
- How does Sheridan County's peak severity sit inside NE?
- Sheridan County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 22.0. Sheridan County falls in the upper quarter of NE counties by active-designation volume, at rank 10 of 92. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Collier County, FL and Cook County, IL.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 31161. 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 31161 (Sheridan County, NE), 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.