TX · Healthcare shortage profile
Ward County, TX
Peak severity leads this reading: Ward County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 11,644.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 11,644
- Peak shortage score
- 18.0
- MUA Index
- -
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ward County holds a moderate federal shortage burden - 6 active HPSA designations, more than 54% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 6
- Active HPSA designations
- 2
- Primary-care shortages
- 18
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- 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 Ward County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Ward County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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 Ward 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 18.0 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 Ward County's active designations would take about 3.9 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.3 primary care, 0.6 mental health, 1 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Ward County's 6 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental (denominator 6).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Ward County carries 6 active designations, above 54% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Ward County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 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: 48475. Population: 11,644.
Active HPSA scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ward 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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Ward County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sandhills Family Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Sandhills Family Clinic | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Sandhills Family Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| Ward County | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Ward County | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Ward County | dental | 11.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Ward County
Peak severity leads this reading: Ward County's highest active HPSA score is 18.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Primary care is where Ward County is stretched thinnest: HRSA scores it 18.0 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 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 17.0 of 26. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Ward County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Ward County sits in the middle of the national designation-volume distribution (above 54% of counties) with 6 active records. That is enough for a formal shortage footprint without landing in the heaviest US tier. Compare the three discipline counts (2/2/2) before assuming every care category is equally short.
Ward County falls in the upper quarter of TX counties by active-designation volume, at rank 26 of 254. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Ward 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
2 designations
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Ward County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Ward County's active designations: about 3.9 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 Ward 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 Ward County's designations
Ward County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Ward County's 6 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 primary-care score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active primary-care HPSA score to Ward County's 18.0. Open Rapides County, LA or Kent County, MI next.
Showing 3 of 2932 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which record sets Ward County's peak score of 18.0?
- "SANDHILLS FAMILY CLINIC" leads the active set (score 18.0; primary care; 30,731 people in the service area; designated 11/13/2003). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 6 active rows: 2 primary care, 2 mental health, 2 dental.
- Why is Ward County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Ward 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 Ward County's severity reading?
- After "SANDHILLS FAMILY CLINIC", the next active names on this release are "SANDHILLS FAMILY CLINIC" and "Ward County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~3.9 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Ward County's high-severity geography?
- Ward County's 6 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 "SANDHILLS FAMILY CLINIC".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 48475. 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 48475 (Ward County, TX), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 18.0; signature peak score 18.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.