133 Virginia counties have at least one federal shortage designation for primary care, mental health or dental care. Look up a hospital to see whether its area has a shortage.
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Primary care shortage
104 counties
78% of Virginia's 133 counties, against 88% nationally. 50 are designated as a whole county. 81 Virginia hospitals are in these counties.
Mental health shortage
133 counties
100% of Virginia's counties, against 93% nationally. 103 counties have a dental shortage designation.
Virginia's highest-need counties for primary care
Counties with the highest primary care shortage score (0 to 25; higher means greater need).
Portsmouth CityPart of county · 1 designationScore 20Mental health score 18
Hopewell CityPart of county · 1 designationScore 20Mental health score 18
HalifaxPart of county · 1 designationScore 19Mental health score 19
Petersburg CityPart of county · 1 designationScore 19Mental health score 18
AlleghanyPart of county · 1 designationScore 19Mental health score 14
Covington CityPart of county · 1 designationScore 19Mental health score 14
Every Virginia county with a shortage designation
Click a column to sort, or filter by county name. "Whole county" means the entire county is designated; "Part" means one or more areas within it (such as census tracts) or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated. The number is the highest shortage score in the county.
No Virginia county with a shortage designation matches that name.
Only counties with at least one active area-based designation (geographic or population) are listed; Virginia has 133 counties in all. Scores run from 0 to 25 for primary care and mental health and 0 to 26 for dental care; higher means greater need. Bars show each score against the maximum. Source: Health Resources and Services Administration (data.hrsa.gov).
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Questions about shortage areas in Virginia
Which Virginia counties are primary care shortage areas?
104 Virginia counties have all or part of the county designated as short of primary care providers (78% of 133). 50 are designated as a whole county: Bath, Bedford, Bland, Brunswick, Buchanan, Buckingham, Campbell, Caroline, Carroll, Charlotte, Craig, Culpeper, Dinwiddie, Emporia City, Floyd, Franklin City, Galax City, Giles, Gloucester, Grayson and more. In the other 54, part of the county or a population group (such as low-income residents) is designated.
Which Virginia county has the greatest need for primary care?
Portsmouth City has the highest primary care shortage score in Virginia: 20 on a scale of 0 to 25, where higher means greater need. Next highest: Hopewell City (20), Halifax (19), Petersburg City (19), Alleghany (19).
Is there a mental health care shortage in Virginia?
133 Virginia counties have a mental health shortage designation (100% of counties, against 93% nationally), 30 of them for the whole county. The highest mental health score is in Accomack (19 of 25). 103 counties have a dental shortage designation.
How does Virginia compare with the rest of the U.S.?
78% of Virginia's counties have a primary care shortage designation, lower than the national figure of 88% (2,759 of 3,143 counties). Many designations cover only part of a county or a population group, so a county being listed doesn't mean every resident lacks care.
What do the shortage scores mean?
HRSA scores each shortage area on how severe the need is, using things like the ratio of people to providers, poverty and travel time to care. Scores run from 0 to 25 for primary care and mental health, and from 0 to 26 for dental care. Higher scores mean greater need, and the highest-scoring areas get priority for National Health Service Corps clinicians.
HRSA designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) where there are too few providers for the population: for primary care, generally fewer than one doctor for every 3,500 people (or 3,000 in high-need areas). Designations unlock federal programs such as National Health Service Corps clinicians and Medicare bonus payments. About the data.
