Medically Underserved Area Two high-priority disciplines

OR · Healthcare shortage profile

Hood River County, OR

Peak severity leads this reading: Hood River County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Population 23,977.

Active HPSAs
6
Population
23,977
Peak shortage score
24.0
MUA Index
MUA
OR state overview → About this data

Mid-burden verdict

According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Hood River 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
Dental shortages
24
Peak severity score (of 26)
Top 46%
US counties by volume

Few Census ZCTAs touch Hood River County

The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 3 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Hood River County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).

Intersecting ZCTA

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 Hood River County, OR 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Closing Hood River County's active designations would take about 4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.

    HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.2 primary care, 1.1 mental health, 1.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.

  3. 33.3% of Hood River 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).

Hood River 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

0–20: 3,115 real US counties (95%). This entry sits in this band. 20–40: 128 real US counties (4%). Above this entry. 40–60: 32 real US counties (1%). Above this entry. 60–80: 7 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 80–100: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 100–120: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 120–140: 2 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 140–160: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 160–180: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 180–200: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 200–220: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 220–240: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 240–260: 0 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. 260–280: 1 real US counties (0%). Above this entry. This county 0 280 every real US county, bucketed by value

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. Hood River County falls in the lower half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 of 36. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.

Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 41027. Population: 23,977.

2
Dental HPSAs
2
Mental Health HPSAs

Medically Underserved Area

MUA Designated

Active HPSA scores

Primary Care 15.0
Mental Health 21.0
Dental 24.0

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 Hood River County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.

Name Type Score
One Community Health dental 24.0
One Community Health mental_health 21.0
LI-Mid Columbia Catchment Area mental_health 18.0
ME-Hood River County dental 16.0
One Community Health primary_care 15.0
ME-Hood River primary_care 11.0

Moderate-burden reading for Hood River County

Peak severity leads this reading: Hood River County's highest active HPSA score is 24.0, clearing HRSA's 17-point high-priority line. Dental care carries Hood River 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 15.0 of 25; Mental health reads 21.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.

Hood River 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.

Hood River County falls in the lower half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 24 of 36. For moderate counties, the useful move is usually a state peer check plus the score cards above, not a national superlative claim.

Hood River County designations by care type

Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).

designations
Source HRSA Data Warehouse, designated HPSAs As of 2026

Mid-pack clinician FTE gap for Hood River County

HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Hood River County's active designations: about 4 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 Hood River County, OR · 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 Hood River County's designations

Hood River County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.

  • Hood River 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 OR before you draw conclusions from a single score. OR 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 dental score peers

Closest U.S. counties on active dental HPSA score to Hood River County's 24.0. Open St. Landry County, LA or Cabo Rojo County, PR next.

Showing 3 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.

St. Landry County, LA

24.0 score 82,540 pop.

Cabo Rojo County, PR

24.0 score 47,158 pop.

Vega Alta County, PR

24.0 score 35,395 pop.

Counties near Hood River 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 “ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH”).

St. Landry County, LA

24.0 dental score · 82,540 pop.

Cabo Rojo County, PR

24.0 dental score · 47,158 pop.

Vega Alta County, PR

24.0 dental score · 35,395 pop.

Cibola County, NM

24.0 dental score · 27,172 pop.

Lee County, VA

24.0 dental score · 22,173 pop.

Lane County, OR

24.0 dental score · 382,971 pop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hood River County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
Yes - Hood River County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
Which record sets Hood River County's peak score of 24.0?
"ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH" leads the active set (score 24.0; dental; 12,978 people in the service area; designated 10/26/2002). 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 Hood River County's severity reading?
After "ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH", the next active names on this release are "ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH", "ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH", "LI-Mid Columbia Catchment Area" and "ME-Hood River County". Provider need (id-de-duped) totals ~4 FTE across disciplines that still carry a gap.
Which federal pathways follow Hood River County's high-severity geography?
Hood River 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 "ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH".

Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 41027. 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 41027 (Hood River County, OR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 6; peak score 24.0; signature peak score 24.0. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.