CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Bent County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Bent County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 5,650.
- Active HPSAs
- 3
- Population
- 5,650
- Peak shortage score
- 22.0
- MUA Index
- 56.8
Light-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bent County carries a comparatively light shortage burden - 3 active HPSA designations, more than 20% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 3
- Active HPSA designations
- 1
- Dental shortages
- 22
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 80%
- 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 Bent County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Bent 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 Bent County, CO 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 22.0 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 Bent County's active designations would take about 6.6 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.9 primary care, 2.9 mental health, 0.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Bent County's 3 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental (denominator 3).
Corpus placement
Active-designation volume placement
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Bent County carries 3 active designations, above 20% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Bent County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 of 64. 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: 08011. Population: 5,650.
Medically Underserved Area
Active HPSA 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 3 active (designated) HPSAs in Bent County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bent County | dental | 22.0 |
| Southeastern Mental Health Catchment Area | mental_health | 21.0 |
| LI-Bent/Crowley/Otero | primary_care | 18.0 |
Light-burden reading for Bent County
Peak severity leads this reading: Bent County's highest active HPSA score is 22.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Bent County's deepest shortage reading, 22.0 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 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 56.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Bent County carries 3 active designations and sits below the national mid-pack (above 20% of counties). A light footprint still matters: a single high-score dental or mental-health record can open program geography even when the county total looks small next to heavy peers.
Bent County falls in the lower half of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 39 of 64. Read the active scores and the deepest-care guide link below before collapsing this county into a "no shortage" story.
Light-volume FTE gap for Bent County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Bent County's active designations: about 6.6 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 Bent County, CO · 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 Bent County's designations
Bent County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Bent County's 3 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 CO before you draw conclusions from a single score. CO 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 near Bent County's dental score of 22.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 22.0 (severity lead on this page is “Bent County”).
Richland County, OH
22.0 dental score · 124,936 pop.
Toa Baja County, PR
22.0 dental score · 75,293 pop.
Tuolumne County, CA
22.0 dental score · 55,620 pop.
Shawano County, WI
22.0 dental score · 40,881 pop.
Silver Bow County, MT
22.0 dental score · 35,133 pop.
East Baton Rouge County, LA
22.0 dental score · 456,781 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Bent County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Bent County carries an MUA designation (index 56.8; 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 Bent County's peak score of 22.0?
- "Bent County" leads the active set (score 22.0; dental; 4,252 people in the service area; ~0.9 FTE still needed on the record; designated 05/20/2004). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 3 active rows: 1 primary care, 1 mental health, 1 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Bent County's severity reading?
- After "Bent County", the next active names on this release are "Bent County", "Southeastern Mental Health Catchment Area" and "LI-Bent/Crowley/Otero". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~6.6 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08011. 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 08011 (Bent County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 3; peak score 22.0; signature peak score 22.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.