Medically Underserved Area Two high-priority disciplines

LA · Healthcare shortage profile

Claiborne County, LA

Peak severity leads this reading: Claiborne County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 14,170.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
14,170
Peak shortage score
22.0
MUA Index
46.2

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Claiborne 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
Mental-health shortages
22
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume
D
Healthcare Access Score
40/100
Claiborne County, LA

Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.

Primary care A
12.0 of 25
Primary care shortage severity (HPSA score)
Mental health F
22.0 of 25
Mental health shortage severity (HPSA score)
Dental F
22.0 of 26
Dental shortage severity (HPSA score)
Underserved status F
IMU 46.2
Index of Medical Underservice (designated MUA)
Provider gap C-
2.4 per 10K
Unmet provider need (HRSA-estimated) per 10,000 residents

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Claiborne 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Claiborne County's active designations would take about 3.4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.5 primary care, 1 mental health, 1.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Claiborne 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).

Claiborne County's mid-pack ZIP footprint

11 Census ZCTAs intersect Claiborne 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

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.

Claiborne 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

This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Claiborne County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22027. Population: 14,170.

2
Mental Health HPSAs
2
Dental HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 46.2

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 12.0 Below priority line
Mental Health 22.0 High priority
Dental 22.0 High priority

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 Claiborne County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Claiborne Parish mental_health 22.0
LI-Claiborne Parish dental 22.0
CF-David Wade Correctional Center mental_health 18.0
Claiborne Parish primary_care 12.0
CF-David Wade Correctional Center primary_care 9.0
CF-David Wade Correctional Center dental 6.0

Moderate-burden reading for Claiborne County

Peak severity leads this reading: Claiborne County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Claiborne County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 22.0 by HRSA, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 12.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 46.2, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Claiborne 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.

Claiborne County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 27 of 64. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Claiborne County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Claiborne County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Claiborne County's active designations: about 3.4 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 Claiborne 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 Claiborne County's designations

Claiborne County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Claiborne 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 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.

Nearby mental-health score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Claiborne County's 22.0. Open Collier County, FL or Cook County, IL next.

Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Claiborne County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Claiborne County carries an MUA designation (index 46.2; 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 Claiborne County's peak score of 22.0?
"Claiborne Parish" leads the active set (score 22.0; mental health; 4,000 people in the service area; ~0.6 FTE still needed on the record; designated 03/03/2022). 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 Claiborne County's severity reading?
After "Claiborne Parish", the next active names on this release are "Claiborne Parish", "LI-CLAIBORNE PARISH" and "CF-David Wade Correctional Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Claiborne County's high-severity geography?
Claiborne 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 "Claiborne Parish".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22027. 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 22027 (Claiborne County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.