NM · Healthcare shortage profile
Cibola County, NM
Peak severity leads this reading: Cibola County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 27,172.
- Active HPSAs
- 20
- Population
- 27,172
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- 51.0
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Cibola County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 20 active HPSA designations, more than 95% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 20
- Active HPSA designations
- 6
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 5%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Cibola 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 Cibola County's active designations would take about 12 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 4.3 primary care, 1.9 mental health, 5.5 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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35% of Cibola County's 20 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 6 dental (denominator 20).
Dense ZCTA lattice over Cibola County
Cibola County intersects 17 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
5 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, Cibola County carries 20 active designations, above 95% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Cibola County falls in the upper quarter of NM counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 32. 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: 35006. Population: 27,172.
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
All 20 active (designated) HPSAs in Cibola County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Hill Health Center | dental | 24.0 |
| Haak'u Health Center | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Laguna Health Center | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Pine Hill Health Center | primary_care | 21.0 |
| Pine Hill Health Center | mental_health | 21.0 |
| Cibola Family Health Center | dental | 21.0 |
| New Laguna Community Health Center | dental | 21.0 |
| Laguna Health Center | dental | 21.0 |
| Haak'u Health Center | dental | 21.0 |
| Cibola Family Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| New Laguna Community Health Center | primary_care | 20.0 |
| LI - Cibola County | primary_care | 20.0 |
| Cibola County | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Cibola Family Health Center | mental_health | 20.0 |
| Haak'u Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| New Laguna Community Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Laguna Health Center | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Cibola County | dental | 19.0 |
| Western New Mexico Correctional Facility North | mental_health | 18.0 |
| Western New Mexico Correctional Facility | primary_care | 15.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Cibola County
Peak severity leads this reading: Cibola County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Cibola 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 21.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 51.0, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Cibola County above 95% of real US counties (20 active designations: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 6 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.
Cibola County falls in the upper quarter of NM counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 32. 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.
Cibola 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
7 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
7 designations
- Dental
Dental
6 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Cibola County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Cibola 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 Cibola 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
Cibola County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Cibola County's 20 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 Cibola County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Caroline County, MD and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
Counties near Cibola County's dental score of 24.0
One peer set for this severity-led county: nearest active dental HPSA score to 24.0 (severity lead on this page is “Pine Hill Health Center”).
Caroline County, MD
24.0 dental score · 33,293 pop.
Aguas Buenas County, PR
24.0 dental score · 24,223 pop.
Arroyo County, PR
24.0 dental score · 15,843 pop.
Atlantic County, NJ
24.0 dental score · 274,534 pop.
Sheboygan County, WI
24.0 dental score · 118,034 pop.
Apache County, AZ
24.0 dental score · 66,021 pop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Cibola County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Cibola County carries an MUA designation (index 51.0; 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 Cibola County's peak score of 24.0?
- "Pine Hill Health Center" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 12,052 people in the service area; designated 07/21/2011). Clearing 17 opens NHSC high-priority placement for the matching provider type on the designated geography. Discipline mix across 20 active rows: 7 primary care, 7 mental health, 6 dental.
- Which other active designations sit under Cibola County's severity reading?
- After "Pine Hill Health Center", the next active names on this release are "Pine Hill Health Center", "Haak'u Health Center", "Laguna Health Center" and "Pine Hill Health Center". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~12 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
- Which federal pathways follow Cibola County's high-severity geography?
- Cibola County's 20 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 "Pine Hill Health Center".
- How does Cibola County's peak severity sit inside NM?
- Cibola County holds 20 active HPSA rows with peak 24.0. Cibola County falls in the upper quarter of NM counties by active-designation volume, at rank 5 of 32. Score-nearest national peers appear below when the peer module renders. Score-nearest counties on this release include Caroline County, MD and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 35006. 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 35006 (Cibola County, NM), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 20; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.