AK · Healthcare shortage profile
Copper River County, AK
Designation volume is the standout signal for Copper River County: 33 active HPSA records, above 98% of real US counties. Population 2,617.
- Active HPSAs
- 33
- Population
- 2,617
- Peak shortage score
- 16.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Copper River County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 33 active HPSA designations, more than 98% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 33
- Active HPSA designations
- 11
- Mental-health shortages
- 16
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 2%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Copper River County, AK 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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Closing Copper River County's active designations would take about 2.6 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 0.6 primary care, 0.6 mental health, 1.4 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Copper River County's 33 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental (denominator 33).
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Peak HPSA score 16.0 sits below HRSA's 17-point high-priority line.
Below-17 designations still count as shortages for program geography, but they do not clear the high-priority NHSC placement threshold on this release.
Few Census ZCTAs touch Copper River County
The Census ZCTA-county crosswalk lists only 6 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas intersecting Copper River County, a sparse footprint relative to most US counties in this mirror (at or below the 9-ZIP tercile cut).
Intersecting ZCTA
1 additional ZCTA 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
Designated volume without a high-priority score
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Copper River County carries 33 active designations, above 98% of real US counties. None of those scores clear HRSA's high-priority line of 17 on this release, so the page leads with severity reading rather than a national distribution chart.
State peer position. Copper River County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 31. 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: 02066. Population: 2,617.
Below high-priority line
Copper River County is designated, but no active score clears 17
33 active designations sit on this FIPS (11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental), and the peak severity is 16.0. That is a formal shortage footprint without HRSA's high-priority (≥17) tier, so NHSC placement geography is usually weaker here than on counties whose lead score clears the line.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Copper River County in the current HRSA release, federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone. Scores range 0–25 (primary/mental health), 0–26 (dental). Higher = greater need. What counts as a high score?
Highest-severity HPSA designations
All 33 active (designated) HPSAs in Copper River County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Gakona Health Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Chugach Census Area | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Chugach Census Area | dental | 16.0 |
| Gulkana Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Tazlina Village Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Chitina Village Clinic | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Copper River Native Association | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium - Administration & Tribal Clinic | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Tazlina Village Clinic | dental | 14.0 |
| Gulkana Health Clinic | dental | 14.0 |
| Gakona Health Clinic | dental | 14.0 |
| ME-Chugach Census Area | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Chistochina Village Clinic | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Copper Center Village Clinic | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Cross Road Health Ministries, Inc. | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Cross Road Health Ministries, Inc. | primary_care | 12.0 |
| Copper River Wrangell Mountain Dental Clinic | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Cross Road Health Ministries, Inc. | dental | 12.0 |
| Copper River Native Association | dental | 12.0 |
| Chitina Village Clinic | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Copper River Native Association | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Chistochina Village Clinic | dental | 10.0 |
| Chitina Village Clinic | dental | 10.0 |
| Copper Center Village Clinic | dental | 10.0 |
| Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium - Administration & Tribal Clinic | dental | 10.0 |
| Mount Sanford Tribal Consortium - Administration & Tribal Clinic | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Gakona Health Clinic | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Chistochina Village Clinic | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Copper River Wrangell Mountain Dental Clinic | dental | 9.0 |
| Tazlina Village Clinic | primary_care | 7.0 |
| Gulkana Health Clinic | primary_care | 7.0 |
| Copper Center Village Clinic | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Copper River Wrangell Mountain Dental Clinic | primary_care | 5.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Copper River County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Copper River County: 33 active HPSA records, above 98% of real US counties. Copper River County's shortage runs equally deep in mental health and dental care: both scored 16.0 by HRSA, still short of the 17-point priority line, though the designation itself is formal. Primary care reads 13.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Copper River County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Copper River County above 98% of real US counties (33 active designations: 11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 16.0. 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.
Copper River County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 31. 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.
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Copper River County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Copper River County's active designations: about 2.6 FTE, a federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
High-volume peers of Copper River County (33 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 33 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes up Copper River County's 33 active HPSA designations?
- 33 Designated rows (11 primary care, 11 mental health, 11 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "Gakona Health Clinic" (score 16.0; mental health; 1,129 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Also active: "Chugach Census Area", "Chugach Census Area", "Gulkana Health Clinic". Above 98% of real US counties by volume.
- Why is Copper River County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Copper River County has no MUA designation on this release. Federal shortage support here runs through the active HPSA record set alone.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Copper River County?
- Peak active score 16.0 in mental health and dental care stays under the 17-point line while volume sits at 33 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Copper River County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 2.6 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "Gakona Health Clinic" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Copper River County's designation volume?
- 33 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 Copper River County's volume compare inside AK?
- 33 active HPSA rows · peak 16.0. Copper River County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 11 of 31. Score-nearest counties on this release include Jefferson County, MO and Carroll County, MD.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02066. 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 02066 (Copper River County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 33; peak score 16.0; signature 33 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.