OK · Healthcare shortage profile
Alfalfa County, OK
Peak severity leads this reading: Alfalfa County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,699.
- Active HPSAs
- 7
- Population
- 5,699
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- 52.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Alfalfa County carries a heavier shortage burden than most US counties - 7 active HPSA designations, more than 70% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 7
- Active HPSA designations
- 3
- Mental-health shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 30%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Alfalfa County, OK 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 23.0 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 Alfalfa County's active designations would take about 7 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.1 primary care, 6.7 mental health, 0.2 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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42.9% of Alfalfa County's 7 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 7).
Alfalfa County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
13 Census ZCTAs intersect Alfalfa 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
5 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.
Alfalfa County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
7 Top 30% higher than 70% 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. Alfalfa County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 77. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 40003. Population: 5,699.
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 7 active (designated) HPSAs in Alfalfa County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Great Salt Plains Health Center | mental_health | 23.0 |
| Great Salt Plains Health Center | dental | 22.0 |
| Great Salt Plains Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Mhca 10/Northwest Center for Behavioral Health | mental_health | 19.0 |
| James Crabtree Correctional Center | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Alfalfa County | primary_care | 10.0 |
| James Crabtree Correctional Center | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Alfalfa County
Peak severity leads this reading: Alfalfa County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Alfalfa County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 23.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 19.0 of 25; Dental care reads 22.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 52.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Alfalfa County above 70% of real US counties (7 active designations: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 23.0. 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.
Alfalfa County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 77. 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 Alfalfa County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Alfalfa County's active designations: about 7 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 Alfalfa County, OK · 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
Alfalfa County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Alfalfa County's 7 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 mental health burden compares with the rest of OK before you draw conclusions from a single score. OK 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 Alfalfa County's 23.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Hawaii County, HI and Orange County, NC.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Alfalfa County's mental score of 23.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 23.0 (severity lead on this page is “GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER”).
Hawaii County, HI
23.0 mental score · 200,629 pop.
Orange County, NC
23.0 mental score · 148,696 pop.
Orangeburg County, SC
23.0 mental score · 84,223 pop.
Marion County, WV
23.0 mental score · 56,205 pop.
Essex County, NJ
23.0 mental score · 863,728 pop.
Washington County, OR
23.0 mental score · 600,372 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Alfalfa County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Alfalfa County carries an MUA designation (index 52.0; 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 Alfalfa County's peak score of 23.0?
- "GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER" leads the active set (score 23.0; mental health; 23,176 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2008). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 7 active rows: 2 primary care, 3 mental health, 2 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Alfalfa County's severity reading?
- After "GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER", the next active names on this release are "GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER", "GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER", "GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER" and "MHCA 10/Northwest Center for Behavioral Health". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Alfalfa County's high-severity geography?
- Alfalfa County's 7 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 "GREAT SALT PLAINS HEALTH CENTER".
- How does Alfalfa County's peak severity sit inside OK?
- Alfalfa County holds 7 active HPSA rows with peak 23.0. Alfalfa County falls in the upper half of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 77. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Hawaii County, HI and Orange County, NC.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40003. 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 40003 (Alfalfa County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 7; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.