Medically Underserved Area Primary · mental · dental footprint

AR · Healthcare shortage profile

Little River County, AR

Peak severity leads this reading: Little River County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 12,026.

Active HPSAs
5
Population
12,026
Peak shortage score
19.0
MUA Index
61.0

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Little River County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 5 active HPSA designations, more than 47% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.

5
Active HPSA designations
2
Primary-care shortages
19
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 53%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Little River County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 7 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Little River County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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.

Key findings

What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Little River County, AR 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 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.

  2. Closing Little River County's active designations would take about 1.8 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, 1.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 40% of Little River County's 5 active designations are primary care.

    Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 5).

Corpus placement

Active-designation volume placement

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Little River County carries 5 active designations, above 47% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.

State peer position. Little River County falls in the upper half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 75. 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: 05081. Population: 12,026.

2
Primary Care HPSAs
2
Dental HPSAs
1
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated
MUA Index: 61.0

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 19.0
Mental Health 18.0
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 5 active (designated) HPSAs in Little River County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
Access Medical Clinic Arkansas LLC primary_care 19.0
Access Medical Clinic Arkansas LLC mental_health 18.0
LI - Little River County dental 18.0
Access Medical Clinic Arkansas LLC dental 17.0
LI- Little River County primary_care 16.0

Moderate-burden reading for Little River County

Peak severity leads this reading: Little River County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Little River 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 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 18.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 61.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.

Little River County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 47% of counties) with 5 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/1/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.

Little River County falls in the upper half of AR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 37 of 75. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Little River 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 Little River County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Little River County's active designations: about 1.8 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 Little River County, AR · 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 Little River County's designations

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

  • Little River County's 5 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 AR before you draw conclusions from a single score. AR 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 Little River County's 19.0. Open Kane County, IL or Solano County, CA next.

Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

Counties near Little River 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 “ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC”).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Little River County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Little River County carries an MUA designation (index 61.0; 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 Little River County's peak score of 19.0?
"ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC" leads the active set (score 19.0; primary care; 61,622 people in the service area; designated 11/05/2024). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 5 active rows: 2 primary care, 1 mental health, 2 dental.
Which other active designations sit under Little River County's severity reading?
After "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC", the next active names on this release are "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC", "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC", "LI - Little River County" and "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~1.8 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Little River County's high-severity geography?
Little River County's 5 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 "ACCESS MEDICAL CLINIC ARKANSAS LLC".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 05081. 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 05081 (Little River County, AR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.