TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Menard County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Menard County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 1,962.
- Active HPSAs
- 5
- Population
- 1,962
- Peak shortage score
- 23.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Menard 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
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 23
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 53%
- US counties by volume
Based on HRSA primary/mental/dental shortage severity, Medically Underserved Area status, and estimated unmet provider need -- not patient outcomes, insurance access, facility quality, or wait times.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Menard County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Menard County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
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 Menard County, TX 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 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.
-
Closing Menard County's active designations would take about 0.7 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care, 0.1 mental health. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
-
40% of Menard County's 5 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 5).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Menard 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. Menard County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 of 254. 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: 48327. Population: 1,962.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Menard County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. 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 Menard County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frontera Healthcare Network | dental | 23.0 |
| Frontera Healthcare Network | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Frontera Healthcare Network | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Menard County | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Menard County | primary_care | 13.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Menard County
Peak severity leads this reading: Menard County's highest active HPSA score is 23.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Menard County's deepest shortage reading, 23.0 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 18.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Menard County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Menard 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 (2/2/1) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Menard County falls in the upper half of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 74 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Menard 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
2 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
2 designations
- Dental
Dental
1 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Menard County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Menard County's active designations: about 0.7 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 Menard County, TX · 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 Menard County's designations
Menard County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Menard 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 TX before you draw conclusions from a single score. TX 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 dental score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Menard County's 23.0. Open Kern County, CA or Prince William County, VA next.
Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Menard County's peak score of 23.0?
- "Frontera Healthcare Network" leads the active set (score 23.0; dental; 5,111 people in the service area; designated 10/31/2006). 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, 2 mental health, 1 dental.
- Why is Menard County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Menard County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- Which other active designations sit under Menard County's severity reading?
- After "Frontera Healthcare Network", the next active names on this release are "Frontera Healthcare Network" and "Menard County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~0.7 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Menard County's high-severity geography?
- Menard 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 "Frontera Healthcare Network".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48327. 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 48327 (Menard County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 5; peak score 23.0; signature peak score 23.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.