LA · Healthcare shortage profile
Orleans County, LA
Peak severity leads this reading: Orleans County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 383,997.
- Active HPSAs
- 23
- Population
- 383,997
- Peak shortage score
- 25.0
- MUA Index
- 53.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Orleans County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 23 active HPSA designations, more than 96% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 23
- Active HPSA designations
- 8
- Dental shortages
- 25
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 4%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Orleans County, LA 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 25.0 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.
-
Closing Orleans County's active designations would take about 2.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.9 primary care, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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34.8% of Orleans County's 23 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 8 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental (denominator 23).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Orleans County
Orleans County intersects 20 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
8 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, Orleans County carries 23 active designations, above 96% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Orleans County falls in the upper quarter of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 64. 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: 22071. Population: 383,997.
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 23 active (designated) HPSAs in Orleans County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mqvn Community Development Corporation | dental | 25.0 |
| Marillac Community Health Centers | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Mqvn Community Development Corporation | primary_care | 22.0 |
| Mqvn Community Development Corporation | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Excelth, Incorporated | mental_health | 22.0 |
| Baptist Community Health Services, Inc | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Excelth, Incorporated | dental | 21.0 |
| Baptist Community Health Services, Inc | primary_care | 20.0 |
| St. Thomas Community Health Center, Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| New Orleans City Human Svc | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Marillac Community Health Centers | dental | 19.0 |
| Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc. | dental | 19.0 |
| Excelth, Incorporated | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc. | mental_health | 18.0 |
| St. Thomas Community Health Center, Inc. | dental | 17.0 |
| Baptist Community Health Services, Inc | dental | 17.0 |
| New Orleans City Human Svc | primary_care | 16.0 |
| New Orleans City Human Svc | dental | 15.0 |
| Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc. | primary_care | 14.0 |
| Marillac Community Health Centers | primary_care | 14.0 |
| St. Thomas Community Health Center, Inc. | primary_care | 14.0 |
| LI - Orleans Parish | primary_care | 12.0 |
| LI-Orleans Parish | dental | 11.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Orleans County
Peak severity leads this reading: Orleans County's highest active HPSA score is 25.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Orleans County's deepest shortage reading, 25.0 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 22.0 of 25; Mental health reads 23.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 53.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Orleans County above 96% of real US counties (23 active designations: 8 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 25.0. 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.
Orleans County falls in the upper quarter of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 64. 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.
Orleans 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
8 designations
- Dental
Dental
8 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
7 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Orleans County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Orleans County's active designations: about 2.6 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 Orleans County, LA · 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
Orleans County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Orleans County's 23 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 LA before you draw conclusions from a single score. LA 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 Orleans County's 25.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Orleans County's dental score of 25.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 25.0 (severity lead on this page is “MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION”).
Wayne County, MI
25.0 dental score · 1,793,561 pop.
Travis County, TX
25.0 dental score · 1,290,188 pop.
Wake County, NC
25.0 dental score · 1,129,410 pop.
Capitol County, CT
25.0 dental score · 977,165 pop.
Macomb County, MI
25.0 dental score · 881,217 pop.
San Diego County, CA
25.0 dental score · 3,298,634 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Orleans County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Orleans County carries an MUA designation (index 53.8; 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 Orleans County's peak score of 25.0?
- "MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION" leads the active set (score 25.0; dental; 51,402 people in the service area; designated 08/19/2010). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 23 active rows: 8 primary care, 7 mental health, 8 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Orleans County's severity reading?
- After "MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION", the next active names on this release are "MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION", "MARILLAC COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS", "MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION" and "MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~2.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Orleans County's high-severity geography?
- Orleans County's 23 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 "MQVN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION".
- How does Orleans County's peak severity sit inside LA?
- Orleans County holds 23 active HPSA rows with peak 25.0. Orleans County falls in the upper quarter of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 64. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Wayne County, MI and Travis County, TX.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22071. 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 22071 (Orleans County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 23; peak score 25.0; signature peak score 25.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.