Medically Underserved Area High-priority · dental care only

LA · Healthcare shortage profile

LaSalle County, LA

Designation volume is the standout signal for LaSalle County: 9 active HPSA records, above 75% of real US counties. Population 14,791.

Active HPSAs
9
Population
14,791
Peak shortage score
18.0
MUA Index
60.1

Heavy-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, LaSalle 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
Dental shortages
18
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 25%
US counties by volume

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for LaSalle 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 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.

  2. Closing LaSalle County's active designations would take about 4.6 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.9 primary care, 0.8 mental health, 2.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of LaSalle 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).

Few Census ZCTAs touch LaSalle County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting LaSalle 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.

LaSalle 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

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 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. LaSalle County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 22059. Population: 14,791.

Single high-priority discipline

LaSalle County's only high-priority (≥17) footprint is dental care

Current HRSA Data Warehouse rows attribute 3 active dental care designations to LaSalle County , with a peak score of 18.0. Other care categories may still be designated here, but none of them clear HRSA's high-priority score line of 17 on the current release, NHSC and related instruments concentrate on the dental care records.

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 60.1

Peak severity scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 16.0
Dental 18.0

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 LaSalle County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Ice - Jena dental 18.0
Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians Health Department mental_health 16.0
La Salle Parish mental_health 16.0
Lasalle Parish dental 16.0
Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians Health Department primary_care 15.0
LI - LaSalle Parish primary_care 15.0
Ice - Jena mental_health 15.0
Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians Health Department dental 14.0
Ice - Jena primary_care 6.0

Heavy-burden reading for LaSalle County

Designation volume is the standout signal for LaSalle County: 9 active HPSA records, above 75% of real US counties. Dental care carries LaSalle County's deepest shortage reading, 18.0 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 15.0 of 25; Mental health reads 16.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 60.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Volume places LaSalle 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 18.0. 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.

LaSalle County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 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.

Heavy-volume FTE gap in LaSalle County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for LaSalle County's active designations: about 4.6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

Acting on LaSalle County's high-priority dental care

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

  • LaSalle County's high-priority dental care designations are where NHSC placement geography concentrates, estimate the award and service terms. NHSC estimator
  • See how the county's dental care burden compares with the rest of LA before drawing conclusions from a single score. LA 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 Similar Dental Shortage Score

Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to LaSalle County's 18.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with St. Francois County, MO and Cherokee County, SC.

Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

High-volume peers of LaSalle County (9 active)

One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 9 across the national corpus.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does LaSalle County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - LaSalle County carries an MUA designation (index 60.1; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
What makes up LaSalle County's 9 active HPSA designations?
9 Designated rows (3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "ICE - Jena" (score 18.0; dental; 467 people in the service area; ~0.3 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/21/2021). Also active: "Jena Band Of Choctaw Indians Health Department", "La Salle Parish", "LASALLE PARISH". Above 75% of real US counties by volume.
What does volume-plus-score look like for LaSalle County?
Peak active score 18.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 9 rows.
What clinician need sits behind LaSalle County's designation volume?
Closing published gaps would take about 4.6 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "ICE - Jena" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
Which federal programs follow LaSalle County's designation volume?
9 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
How does LaSalle County's volume compare inside LA?
9 active HPSA rows · peak 18.0. LaSalle County falls in the upper half of LA counties by active-designation volume, at rank 18 of 64. Score-nearest counties on this release include St. Francois County, MO and Cherokee County, SC.

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 22059. 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 22059 (LaSalle County, LA), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 18.0; signature 9 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.