AK · Healthcare shortage profile
Prince of Wales-Hyder County, AK
Designation volume is the standout signal for Prince of Wales-Hyder County: 45 active HPSA records, above 99% of real US counties. Population 5,753.
- Active HPSAs
- 45
- Population
- 5,753
- Peak shortage score
- 20.0
- MUA Index
- -
Heavy-burden verdict
According to current HRSA Data Warehouse records, Prince of Wales-Hyder County ranks among the most underserved counties in the country - 45 active HPSA designations, more than 99% of the 3,289 real US counties, with primary care the deepest gap.
- 45
- Active HPSA designations
- 15
- Dental shortages
- 20
- Peak severity score (of 26)
- Top 1%
- US counties by volume
Key findings
What the HRSA Data Warehouse does not surface for Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 20.0 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder County's active designations would take about 5.4 additional clinician FTEs, with dental the largest gap.
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id (no double-count across status rows): 1.3 primary care, 1.3 mental health, 2.8 dental. This is the federal gap estimate, not a headcount of practising clinicians.
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33.3% of Prince of Wales-Hyder County's 45 active designations are primary care.
Discipline mix from designated HPSA records only: 15 primary care, 15 mental health, 15 dental (denominator 45).
Prince of Wales-Hyder County's mid-pack ZIP footprint
12 Census ZCTAs intersect Prince of Wales-Hyder 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, Prince of Wales-Hyder County carries 45 active designations, above 99% of real US counties. Use the state peer line below before treating the national percentile as a local access verdict.
State peer position. Prince of Wales-Hyder County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 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: 02198. Population: 5,753.
Peak severity scores
Current designated records only. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Prince of Wales-Hyder 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
Showing the 40 most-severe of 45 active (designated) HPSAs in Prince of Wales-Hyder County, ranked by HRSA shortage score.
| Name | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Searhc Aics Whale Pass Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Searhc Aics Port Protection Clinic | dental | 20.0 |
| Searhc Aics Port Protection Clinic | mental_health | 19.0 |
| Searhc Aics Whale Pass Clinic | primary_care | 18.0 |
| Searhc Aics Port Protection Clinic | primary_care | 16.0 |
| Searhc Aics Whale Pass Clinic | mental_health | 16.0 |
| Thorne Bay Health Clinic | mental_health | 15.0 |
| Searhc Aics Nakukati Clinic | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Hydaburg Alma Cook Health Center | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Southeast Alaska MH Catchment Area | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Craig Behavioral Health | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Alicia Roberts Health Center | mental_health | 14.0 |
| Metlakatla Health Center | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Kake Health Center | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Searhc Aics Point Baker Clinic | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Kasaan Health Center | mental_health | 13.0 |
| Metlakatla (Arnie Christiansen Crisis Center) | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Wings Safe House, Metlakatla | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Searhc Coffman Cove Clinic | mental_health | 12.0 |
| Southern Southeast Alaska | dental | 12.0 |
| Metlakatla Health Center | primary_care | 11.0 |
| ME-Southern Southeast Alaska | primary_care | 11.0 |
| Searhc Coffman Cove Clinic | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Metlakatla (Arnie Christiansen Crisis Center) | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Thorne Bay Health Clinic | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Wings Safe House, Metlakatla | primary_care | 10.0 |
| Metlakatla Health Center | dental | 10.0 |
| Thorne Bay Health Clinic | dental | 10.0 |
| Kasaan Health Center | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Searhc Aics Point Baker Clinic | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Kake Health Center | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Hydaburg Alma Cook Health Center | primary_care | 9.0 |
| Searhc Coffman Cove Clinic | dental | 9.0 |
| Kake Health Center | dental | 8.0 |
| Metlakatla (Arnie Christiansen Crisis Center) | dental | 8.0 |
| Hydaburg Alma Cook Health Center | dental | 8.0 |
| Searhc Aics Point Baker Clinic | dental | 8.0 |
| Wings Safe House, Metlakatla | dental | 8.0 |
| Kasaan Health Center | dental | 8.0 |
| Craig Behavioral Health | dental | 8.0 |
Heavy-burden reading for Prince of Wales-Hyder County
Designation volume is the standout signal for Prince of Wales-Hyder County: 45 active HPSA records, above 99% of real US counties. Dental care carries Prince of Wales-Hyder County's deepest shortage reading, 20.0 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 19.0 of 25. No Medically Underserved Area designation covers Prince of Wales-Hyder County, so federal support here runs through the HPSA route alone.
Volume places Prince of Wales-Hyder County above 99% of real US counties (45 active designations: 15 primary care, 15 mental health, 15 dental). Peak severity on the current designated set is 20.0. 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.
Prince of Wales-Hyder County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 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.
Prince of Wales-Hyder 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
15 designations
- Mental health
Mental health
15 designations
- Dental
Dental
15 designations
Heavy-volume FTE gap in Prince of Wales-Hyder County
HRSA providers_needed summed once per HPSA id for Prince of Wales-Hyder County's active designations: about 5.4 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder 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
Prince of Wales-Hyder County's shortage designations unlock specific federal programs and comparisons, here is how to act on them.
- Prince of Wales-Hyder County's 45 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder County's 20.0. This compares the designation score only, not local appointment availability or care quality. Start with Allegan County, MI and Umatilla County, OR.
Showing 6 of 2744 counties nationally with an active designation this severe.
High-volume peers of Prince of Wales-Hyder County (45 active)
One peer set for this volume-led county: nearest active designation count to 45 across the national corpus.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes up Prince of Wales-Hyder County's 45 active HPSA designations?
- 45 Designated rows (15 primary care, 15 mental health, 15 dental). Highest-scored name on this release: "SEARHC AICS Whale Pass Clinic" (score 20.0; dental; 3,002 people in the service area; designated 08/18/2019). Also active: "SEARHC AICS Port Protection Clinic", "SEARHC AICS Port Protection Clinic", "SEARHC AICS Whale Pass Clinic". Above 99% of real US counties by volume.
- Why is Prince of Wales-Hyder County not listed as a Medically Underserved Area?
- Prince of Wales-Hyder 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder County?
- Peak active score 20.0 in dental care clears the 17-point line while volume sits at 45 rows.
- What clinician need sits behind Prince of Wales-Hyder County's designation volume?
- Closing published gaps would take about 5.4 additional clinician FTEs (id-de-duped providers_needed). "SEARHC AICS Whale Pass Clinic" is the severity lead inside that inventory.
- Which federal programs follow Prince of Wales-Hyder County's designation volume?
- 45 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 Prince of Wales-Hyder County's volume compare inside AK?
- 45 active HPSA rows · peak 20.0. Prince of Wales-Hyder County falls in the upper half of AK counties by active-designation volume, at rank 9 of 31. Score-nearest counties on this release include Allegan County, MI and Umatilla County, OR.
Source: HRSA Data Warehouse. FIPS: 02198. 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 02198 (Prince of Wales-Hyder County, AK), vintage 2026-08-15. Active designation count 45; peak score 20.0; signature 45 active designations. This profile is reference material, not professional advice; see methodology.