OK · Healthcare shortage profile
Kay County, OK
Peak severity leads this reading: Kay County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 43,700.
- Active HPSAs
- 9
- Population
- 43,700
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- 55.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Kay 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
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 25%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Kay 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.
-
Peak HPSA score 20.0 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 Kay County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.5 primary care, 6.9 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Kay 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).
Kay County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
10 Census ZCTAs intersect Kay 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
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.
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Kay County carries 9 active designations, above 75% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Kay County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 77. 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: 40071. Population: 43,700.
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 9 active (designated) HPSAs in Kay County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| The Kaw Nation Kanza Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| The Kaw Nation Kanza Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| The Kaw Nation Kanza Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Kay County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Mhca 11 - Edwin Fair | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| LI-Kay County | dental | 9.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Kay County
Peak severity leads this reading: Kay County's highest active HPSA score is 20.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Kay County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 55.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Kay 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 20.0. 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.
Kay County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 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.
Kay County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
3 designations
- Dental
Dental
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Kay County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Kay County's active designations: about 12 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 Kay 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
Kay County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Kay County's 9 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 Dental Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA dental HPSA score is closest to Kay County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Tehama County, CA and Darke County, OH.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Kay County's dental score of 20.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 20.0 (severity lead on this page is “Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic”).
Tehama County, CA
20.0 dental score · 65,829 pop.
Darke County, OH
20.0 dental score · 51,881 pop.
Calaveras County, CA
20.0 dental score · 45,292 pop.
Plymouth County, MA
20.0 dental score · 530,819 pop.
Deschutes County, OR
20.0 dental score · 198,253 pop.
Tuscarawas County, OH
20.0 dental score · 93,263 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Kay County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Kay County carries an MUA designation (index 55.8; 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 Kay County's peak score of 20.0?
- "Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic" leads the active set (score 20.0; dental; 18,265 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 9 active rows: 3 primary care, 3 mental health, 3 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Kay County's severity reading?
- After "Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic", the next active names on this release are "Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic", "The Kaw Nation Kanza Health Center", "Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic" and "The Kaw Nation Kanza Health Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~12 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Kay County's high-severity geography?
- Kay County's 9 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 "Ponca Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma White Eagle Clinic".
- How does Kay County's peak severity sit inside OK?
- Kay County holds 9 active HPSA rows with peak 20.0. Kay County falls in the upper quarter of OK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 77. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Tehama County, CA and Darke County, OH.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 40071. 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 40071 (Kay County, OK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 9; peak score 20.0; signature peak score 20.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.