OK · Healthcare shortage profile
Pittsburg County, OK
Peak severity leads this reading: Pittsburg County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 43,773.
- Active HPSAs
- 15
- Population
- 43,773
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 54.5
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Pittsburg County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 15 active HPSA designations, more than 91% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 15
- Active HPSA designations
- 5
- Mental-health shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 9%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Pittsburg 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 24.0 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 Pittsburg County's active designations would take about 18 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3 primary care, 13 mental health, 2.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Pittsburg County's 15 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental (denominator 15).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Pittsburg County
Pittsburg County intersects 19 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
7 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.
Pittsburg County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
15 Top 9% higher than 91% 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. Pittsburg County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 77. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 40121. Population: 43,773.
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 15 active (designated) HPSAs in Pittsburg County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary | mental_health | 24.0 |
| Caring Hands Healthcare Centers, Inc. | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Choctaw Nation Mcalester Health Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Mhca 21 | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Choctaw Nation Mcalester Health Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Caring Hands Healthcare Centers, Inc. | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Jones Academy School HC | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Jones Academy School HC | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Choctaw Nation Mcalester Health Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Jones Academy School HC | dental | 17.0 |
| Caring Hands Healthcare Centers, Inc. | dental | 17.0 |
| LI - Pittsburg County | primary_care | 15.0 |
| LI - Pittsburg County | dental | 14.0 |
| McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary | dental | 12.0 |
| Oklahoma State Penitentiary - McAlester | primary_care | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Pittsburg County
Peak severity leads this reading: Pittsburg County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Pittsburg County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 24.0 of 25, past the 17-point line HRSA uses to open National Health Service Corps placement and enhanced Medicare reimbursement. Primary care reads 18.0 of 25; Dental care reads 20.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 54.5, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Pittsburg County above 91% of real US counties (15 active designations: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Pittsburg County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 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 Pittsburg County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Pittsburg County's active designations: about 18 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 Pittsburg 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
Pittsburg County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Pittsburg County's 15 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 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 Pittsburg County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Providence County, RI and Fresno County, CA.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Pittsburg County's mental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary”).
Providence County, RI
23.0 mental score · 660,741 pop.
Fresno County, CA
24.0 mental score · 1,008,654 pop.
Charleston County, SC
24.0 mental score · 408,235 pop.
Comanche County, OK
24.0 mental score · 121,125 pop.
Logan County, AR
24.0 mental score · 21,131 pop.
Coal County, OK
24.0 mental score · 5,266 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Pittsburg County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Pittsburg County carries an MUA designation (index 54.5; 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 Pittsburg County's peak score of 24.0?
- "McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary" leads the active set (score 24.0; mental health; 738 people in the service area; ~0.4 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/25/2016). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 15 active rows: 5 primary care, 5 mental health, 5 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Pittsburg County's severity reading?
- After "McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary", the next active names on this release are "McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary", "CARING HANDS HEALTHCARE CENTERS, INC.", "Choctaw Nation Mcalester Health Clinic" and "MHCA 21". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~18 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Pittsburg County's high-severity geography?
- Pittsburg County's 15 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 "McAlester - Oklahoma State Penitentiary".
- How does Pittsburg County's peak severity sit inside OK?
- Pittsburg County holds 15 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Pittsburg County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 4 of 77. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Providence County, RI and Fresno County, CA.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40121. 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 40121 (Pittsburg County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 15; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.