NM · Healthcare shortage profile
Sandoval County, NM
Designation volume is the standout signal for Sandoval County: 42 active HPSA records, above 99% of real US counties. Population 148,834.
- Active HPSAs
- 42
- Population
- 148,834
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 34.1
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Sandoval 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 Sandoval County, NM 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 Sandoval County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.8 primary care, 8.6 mental health, 1.9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Sandoval 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 Sandoval County
Sandoval County intersects 21 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
9 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, Sandoval 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. Sandoval County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 32 real counties in NM. 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: 35043. Population: 148,834.
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 Sandoval County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pueblo Pintado Health Station | dental | 24.0 |
| Jemez Health Center | dental | 22.0 |
| Pueblo Pintado Health Station | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Jemez Health Center | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Cochiti Dental Clinic | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Pueblo Pintado Health Station | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Cochiti Health Station | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Jemez Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Cochiti Health Station | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation | dental | 20.0 |
| Santa Anna Health Station | dental | 20.0 |
| Cochiti Health Station | dental | 20.0 |
| Zia Health Station | dental | 20.0 |
| San Felipe Health Station | dental | 20.0 |
| Sandia Health Center | dental | 20.0 |
| Santa Ana Health Station | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Zia Health Station | primary_care | 19.0 |
| San Felipe Health Station | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Sandia Health Center | primary_care | 19.0 |
| Santa Anna Health Station | primary_care | 19.0 |
| EL Pueblo Health Services Inc | primary_care | 19.0 |
| San Felipe Health Station | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Kewa Pueblo Health Corporation | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Cochiti Dental Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Santa Ana Health Station | dental | 19.0 |
| Cochiti Dental Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| San Felipe Dental Clinic | dental | 19.0 |
| LI - North Sandoval County | dental | 19.0 |
| EL Pueblo Health Services Inc | dental | 19.0 |
| San Felipe Dental Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Zia Health Station | mental_health | 18.0 |
| EL Pueblo Health Services Inc | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Sandia Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Santa Anna Health Station | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Pueblo OF Jemez | dental | 17.0 |
| Pueblo OF Jemez | primary_care | 16.0 |
| San Felipe Dental Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Santa Ana Health Station | mental_health | 16.0 |
| North Sandoval County | primary_care | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Sandoval County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Sandoval County: 42 active HPSA records, above 99% of real US counties. Dental care carries Sandoval 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 34.1, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Sandoval 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.
Sandoval County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 32 real counties in NM. 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.
Sandoval 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 Sandoval County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Sandoval County's active designations: about 12 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 Sandoval County, NM · 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
Sandoval County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Sandoval 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 NM before you draw conclusions from a single score. NM 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 Sandoval County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with El Paso County, CO and Jackson County, OR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Sandoval County (42 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 42 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Sandoval County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Sandoval County carries an MUA designation (index 34.1; lower = greater measured need) in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Sandoval County's 42 active HPSA designations?
- 42 Designated rows (14 primary care, 14 mental health, 14 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "PUEBLO PINTADO HEALTH STATION" (score 24.0; dental; 14,641 people in the service area; designated 02/16/2016). Also active: "JEMEZ HEALTH CENTER", "PUEBLO PINTADO HEALTH STATION", "JEMEZ HEALTH CENTER". Above 99% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Sandoval County?
- Peak active score 24.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 42 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Sandoval County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "PUEBLO PINTADO HEALTH STATION" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Sandoval County's designation volume?
- 42 active designations can open NHSC placement, CHC grants, Medicare bonus and J-1 waivers, by designated area and provider type, not by county line alone.
- How does Sandoval County's volume compare inside NM?
- 42 active HPSA rows · peak 24.0. Sandoval County is tied for the highest active-designation count among 32 real counties in NM. Score-nearest counties on this release include El Paso County, CO and Jackson County, OR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 35043. 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 35043 (Sandoval County, NM), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 42; peak score 24.0; signature 42 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.