AZ · Healthcare shortage profile
Apache County, AZ
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Apache County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Population 66,021.
- Active HPSAs
- 42
- Population
- 66,021
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 35.9
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Apache County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 42 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 42
- Active HPSA designations
- 14
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Apache County, AZ 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 24.0 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 Apache County's active designations would take about 33 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 19 primary care, 3.4 mental health, 11 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Apache County's 42 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 dental (denominator 42).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Apache County
Apache County intersects 34 Census ZCTAs, above the 15-ZIP dense-tercile cut. Shortage designations still attach at the county (or smaller HPSA) grain; the ZIP list is geography, not a second severity score.
Largest land-share ZCTAs in this county
22 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, Apache County carries 42 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Apache County falls in the upper half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 15. 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: 04001. Population: 66,021.
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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 42 active (designated) HPSAs in Apache County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Many Farms Clinic | dental | 24.0 |
| Chinle Health Care Facility | dental | 24.0 |
| Nahata Dziil Health Center | dental | 24.0 |
| Greasewood Clinic | dental | 23.0 |
| Mcnary Sch | dental | 23.0 |
| Rock Point Clinic | dental | 22.0 |
| Dennehotso Health Station | dental | 22.0 |
| Four Corners Regional Health Center | dental | 22.0 |
| Sage Memorial Hospital | dental | 22.0 |
| Tsaile Health Center | dental | 22.0 |
| Fort Defiance Indian Hospital | dental | 22.0 |
| Greasewood Clinic | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Chinle Health Care Facility | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Many Farms Clinic | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Mcnary Sch | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Nahata Dziil Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Many Farms Clinic | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Tsaile Health Center | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Chinle Health Care Facility | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Nahata Dziil Health Center | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Sage Memorial Hospital | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Tsaile Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Fort Defiance Indian Hospital | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Dennehotso Health Station | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Rock Point Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Greasewood Clinic | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Mcnary Sch | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Fort Defiance Indian Hospital | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Rock Point Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Dennehotso Health Station | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Four Corners Regional Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Sage Memorial Hospital | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Four Corners Regional Health Center | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe | mental_health | 18.0 |
| White Mountain Regional Medical Center Clinic | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe | dental | 18.0 |
| Springerville/Eagar | dental | 18.0 |
| Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe | primary_care | 17.0 |
| White Mountain Regional Medical Center Clinic | dental | 17.0 |
| White Mountain Regional Medical Center Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Apache County
The clinician FTE gap is the sharpest number here: closing Apache County's active designations would take about 33 additional FTEs on HRSA's providers_needed estimate. Dental care carries Apache County's deepest shortage reading, 24.0 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 20.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 35.9, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Apache County above 99% of real US counties (42 active designations: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 24.0. 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.
Apache County falls in the upper half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 15. 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.
Apache 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
14 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
14 designations
- Dental
Dental
14 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Apache County
Signature reading: HRSA providers_needed sums to about 33 FTE across Apache County's active designations (once per HPSA id), a federal gap estimate, not practising headcount.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) + Medically Underserved Areas/Populations (MUA/P) HPSA primary-care, mental-health, and dental designations for Apache County, AZ · 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
Apache County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Apache County's 42 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 AZ before you draw conclusions from a single score. AZ 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 Apache County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties with a matching designation count to Apache County's 42
One peer set for this FTE-led county: nearest active designation count to 42 - the inventory behind the ~33 FTE published need.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Apache County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Apache County carries an MUA designation (index 35.9; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- Where is the largest clinician FTE gap inside Apache County?
- Id-de-duped providers_needed across active HPSAs totals ~33 FTE, with primary care the largest slice (19). "Many Farms Clinic" is the highest-scored active row (score 24.0; dental; 34,333 people in the service area; designated 09/01/2013). This is HRSA's published gap, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
- Which named designations drive Apache County's FTE reading?
- Active names on this release include "Many Farms Clinic", "Chinle Health Care Facility", "Nahata Dziil Health Center" and "Greasewood Clinic". Discipline counts: 14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 dental across 42 designated rows.
- Do Apache County's FTE gaps unlock federal programs?
- Yes where an ACTIVE designation exists, NHSC, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers follow the designated geography and provider type. A published FTE gap without an active row does not, by itself, open those pathways.
- How does Apache County's FTE burden compare inside AZ?
- 42 active designations and ~33 FTE published need. Apache County falls in the upper half of AZ counties by active-designation volume, at rank 7 of 15. Score-nearest counties on this release include Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 04001. 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 04001 (Apache County, AZ), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 42; peak score 24.0; signature 33 FTE gap. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.