CO · Healthcare shortage profile
Conejos County, CO
Peak severity leads this reading: Conejos County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 7,461.
- Active HPSAs
- 6
- Population
- 7,461
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 38.0
Mid-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Conejos 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
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 46%
- US counties by volume
Few Census ZCTAs touch Conejos County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 8 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Conejos County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
3 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.
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Conejos 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 19.0 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 Conejos County's active designations would take about 4.1 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 2.1 primary care, 1.5 mental health, 0.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Conejos 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).
Conejos County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
6 Top 46% higher than 54% 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. Conejos County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 64. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 08021. Population: 7,461.
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 6 active (designated) HPSAs in Conejos County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis Valley Mhca | mental_health | 19.0 |
| San Luis Valley LA Jara Medical Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Conejos County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| San Luis Valley LA Jara Medical Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| San Luis Valley LA Jara Medical Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| LI-Conejos County | dental | 14.0 |
Moderate-burden reading for Conejos County
Peak severity leads this reading: Conejos County's highest active HPSA score is 19.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Conejos County's severest measured gap is in mental health, scored 19.0 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 17.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 38.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Conejos 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.
Conejos County falls in the upper quarter of CO counties by active-designation volume, at rank 15 of 64. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.
Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Conejos County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Conejos County's active designations: about 4.1 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 Conejos 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 Conejos County's designations
Conejos County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Conejos 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 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.
Nearby mental-health score peers
Closest U.S. counties on active mental-health HPSA score to Conejos County's 19.0. Open Lake County, IN or Hamilton County, IN next.
Showing 3 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Conejos County's mental score of 19.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active mental HPSA score to 19.0 (severity lead on this page is “San Luis Valley MHCA”).
Lake County, IN
19.0 mental score · 498,700 pop.
Hamilton County, IN
19.0 mental score · 347,467 pop.
Calcasieu County, LA
19.0 mental score · 216,785 pop.
Saginaw County, MI
19.0 mental score · 190,124 pop.
Black Hawk County, IA
19.0 mental score · 131,144 pop.
Dubuque County, IA
19.0 mental score · 99,266 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Conejos County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Conejos County carries an MUA designation (index 38.0; 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 Conejos County's peak score of 19.0?
- "San Luis Valley MHCA" leads the active set (score 19.0; mental health; 22,500 people in the service area; ~1.5 FTE still needed on the record; designated 02/17/2021). 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.
- Which other active designations sit under Conejos County's severity reading?
- After "San Luis Valley MHCA", the next active names on this release are "San Luis Valley MHCA", "SAN LUIS VALLEY LA JARA MEDICAL CLINIC", "Conejos County" and "SAN LUIS VALLEY LA JARA MEDICAL CLINIC". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4.1 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Conejos County's high-severity geography?
- Conejos 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 "San Luis Valley MHCA".
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 08021. 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 08021 (Conejos County, CO), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 19.0; signature peak score 19.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.