AK · Healthcare shortage profile
Matanuska-Susitna County, AK
Designation volume is the standout signal for Matanuska-Susitna County: 30 active HPSA records, above 97% of real US counties. Population 107,081.
- Active HPSAs
- 30
- Population
- 107,081
- Peak shortage score
- 24.0
- MUA Index
- MUA
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Matanuska-Susitna County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 30 active HPSA designations, more than 97% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 30
- Active HPSA designations
- 10
- Dental shortages
- 24
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 3%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Matanuska-Susitna 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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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 Matanuska-Susitna County's active designations would take about 24 additional clinician FTEs, with primary care the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 10 primary care, 4.3 mental health, 9 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Matanuska-Susitna County's 30 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 10 primary care, 10 mental health, 10 dental (denominator 30).
Matanuska-Susitna County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Matanuska-Susitna 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
4 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, Matanuska-Susitna County carries 30 active designations, above 97% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Matanuska-Susitna County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 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: 02170. Population: 107,081.
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 30 active (designated) HPSAs in Matanuska-Susitna County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mat-SU Health Services, Inc. | dental | 24.0 |
| Mat-SU Health Services, Inc. | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Mat-SU Health Services, Inc. | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Sunshine Community Health Center Incorporated | mental_health | 17.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Primary Care Center | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Pcc Behavioral Health Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Sunshine Community Health Center Incorporated | dental | 16.0 |
| Palmer Correctional Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Goose Creek Correctional Center | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Palmer Correctional Center | dental | 15.0 |
| Denali | primary_care | 13.0 |
| Denali | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Benteh Wellness Center | mental_health | 10.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Pcc Behavioral Health Clinic | dental | 10.0 |
| Denali | dental | 10.0 |
| Sunshine Community Health Center Incorporated | primary_care | 9.0 |
| C'eyiits' Hwnax Life House Community Health Center | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Four Directions | mental_health | 9.0 |
| Benteh Wellness Center | dental | 7.0 |
| C'eyiits' Hwnax Life House Community Health Center | dental | 7.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Four Directions | dental | 7.0 |
| Palmer Correctional Center | primary_care | 6.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Primary Care Center | dental | 6.0 |
| Goose Creek Correctional Center | primary_care | 3.0 |
| Goose Creek Correctional Center | dental | 3.0 |
| C'eyiits' Hwnax Life House Community Health Center | primary_care | 2.0 |
| Benteh Wellness Center | primary_care | 1.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Primary Care Center | primary_care | 1.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Valley Native Pcc Behavioral Health Clinic | primary_care | 1.0 |
| Benteh Nuutah Four Directions | primary_care | 1.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Matanuska-Susitna County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Matanuska-Susitna County: 30 active HPSA records, above 97% of real US counties. Dental care carries Matanuska-Susitna 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 18.0 of 25; Mental health reads 17.0 of 25. The county also sits inside a Medically Underserved Area, a separate HRSA designation from the HPSA records above.
Volume places Matanuska-Susitna County above 97% of real US counties (30 active designations: 10 primary care, 10 mental health, 10 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.
Matanuska-Susitna County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 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.
Matanuska-Susitna 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
10 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
10 designations
- Dental
Dental
10 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Matanuska-Susitna County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Matanuska-Susitna County's active designations: about 24 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 Matanuska-Susitna County, AK · 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
Matanuska-Susitna County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Matanuska-Susitna County's 30 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 AK before you draw conclusions from a single score. AK 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 Matanuska-Susitna County's 24.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Matanuska-Susitna County (30 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 30 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Matanuska-Susitna County's MUA standing sit beside its HPSA records?
- Yes - Matanuska-Susitna County carries an MUA designation in addition to its HPSA rows. MUA and HPSA are separate HRSA tracks; both can open different federal pathways.
- What makes up Matanuska-Susitna County's 30 active HPSA designations?
- 30 Designated rows (10 primary care, 10 mental health, 10 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "MAT-SU HEALTH SERVICES, INC." (score 24.0; dental; 21,364 people in the service area; designated 09/30/2005). Also active: "MAT-SU HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", "MAT-SU HEALTH SERVICES, INC.", "SUNSHINE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER INCORPORATED". Above 97% of real US counties by volume.
- What does volume-plus-score look like for Matanuska-Susitna County?
- Peak active score 24.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 30 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Matanuska-Susitna County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 24 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "MAT-SU HEALTH SERVICES, INC." is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Matanuska-Susitna County's designation volume?
- 30 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 Matanuska-Susitna County's volume compare inside AK?
- 30 active HPSA rows · peak 24.0. Matanuska-Susitna County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 12 of 31. Score-nearest counties on this release include Camuy County, PR and Aguas Buenas County, PR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02170. 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 02170 (Matanuska-Susitna County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 30; peak score 24.0; signature 30 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.