OR · Healthcare shortage profile
Malheur County, OR
Designation volume is the standout signal for Malheur County: 10 active HPSA records, above 83% of real US counties. Population 31,571.
- Active HPSAs
- 10
- Population
- 31,571
- Peak shortage score
- 19.0
- MUA Index
- 57.8
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Malheur County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 10 active HPSA designations, more than 83% of the 3,289 real US counties, with mental health the deepest gap.
- 10
- Active HPSA designations
- 4
- Mental-health shortages
- 19
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 17%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Malheur 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.
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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 Malheur County's active designations would take about 9.2 additional clinician FTEs, with mental health the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 3.6 primary care, 4.9 mental health, 0.7 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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40% of Malheur County's 10 active designations are mental health.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental (denominator 10).
Malheur County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
15 Census ZCTAs intersect Malheur County, between the 9 and 15 ZIP cuts across published counties: neither a postage-stamp footprint nor a metro-scale lattice.
Largest land-share ZCTAs
7 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.
Malheur County vs. every real US county
Total active HPSA designations, including counties with none
10 Top 17% higher than 83% 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. Malheur County falls in the upper half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 36. Ties share a rank; the comparison uses the same current designated records as the national chart.
Healthcare shortage designations from HRSA. FIPS: 41045. Population: 31,571.
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 10 active (designated) HPSAs in Malheur County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Southeastern Oregon | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Malheur Memorial Health Center | mental_health | 18.0 |
| LI-Malheur County | primary_care | 17.0 |
| Malheur Memorial Health Center | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Malheur Memorial Health Center | dental | 13.0 |
| CF-Snake River Correctional Institution | mental_health | 12.0 |
| CF-Snake River | mental_health | 12.0 |
| LI-Malheur County | dental | 11.0 |
| CF-Snake River | primary_care | 3.0 |
| CF-Snake River Correctional Institution (srci) | dental | 3.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Malheur County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Malheur County: 10 active HPSA records, above 83% of real US counties. Malheur 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 17.0 of 25; Dental care reads 13.0 of 26. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, indexed at 57.8, and the lower the index, the greater the measured need.
Volume places Malheur County above 83% of real US counties (10 active designations: 3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 19.0. 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.
Malheur County falls in the upper half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 36. 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.
Malheur County designations by care type
Active Health Professional Shortage Area designations in the county, by provider category (high-priority disciplines emphasized).
- Mental health
Mental health
4 designations
- Primary care
Primary care
3 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Malheur County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Malheur County's active designations: about 9.2 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 Malheur 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 a heavy-burden county
Malheur County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Malheur County's 10 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 mental health 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.
Counties With a Similar Mental Health Shortage Score
Other U.S. counties whose active HRSA mental-health HPSA score is closest to Malheur County's 19.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Butte County, CA and Stearns County, MN.
Showing 6 of 3081 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Malheur County (10 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 10 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Malheur County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Malheur County carries an MUA designation (index 57.8; 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 Malheur County's 10 active HPSA designations?
- 10 Designated rows (3 primary care, 4 mental health, 3 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Southeastern Oregon" (score 19.0; mental health; 15,733 people in the service area; ~1.1 FTE still needed on the record; designated 09/21/2020). Also active: "MALHEUR MEMORIAL HEALTH CENTER", "LI-Malheur County", "MALHEUR MEMORIAL HEALTH CENTER". Above 83% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Malheur County?
- Peak active score 19.0 in mental health clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 10 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Malheur County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 9.2 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Southeastern Oregon" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Malheur County's designation volume?
- 10 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 Malheur County's volume compare inside OR?
- 10 active HPSA rows · peak 19.0. Malheur County falls in the upper half of OR counties by active-designation volume, at rank 14 of 36. Score-nearest counties on this release include Butte County, CA and Stearns County, MN.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 41045. 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 41045 (Malheur County, OR), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 10; peak score 19.0; signature 10 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.