The Dental Care Shortage in New England

Data released from September 2020 by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) revealed that nearly 60 million Americans lived in a dental care shortage areas. These areas, known as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) by the HRSA, are geographic areas, population groups, or facilities where access to healthcare services is substandard because it lacks a sufficient number of primary care, dental care, or mental health care providers. With respect to dental care, HRSA designation is based upon the number of people living within the HPSA relative to the number of dentists and dental auxiliaries (any non-dentist staff employed by the dentist to assist in the operation of the practice) that service the area.  Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a dental care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain limits set by federal regulations. HRSA designated dental care shortage areas are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more dental care providers to work with these communities. As of September 2020, close to 6,500 areas or settings qualified with the HRSA as a dental care shortage area. To eliminate all such designations, the HRSA estimates that these HPSAs would need about 10,700 additional dental care providers.

HPSAs in New England account for about 2.1% of the U.S. population who live in dental care shortage areas and roughly 1.8% of the national shortage of dental care providers. The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in New England would need about 200 additional dental care providers in order to eliminate the dental care shortage in the region. Here is a summary look at the dental care shortage in New England:

The Dental Care Shortage in New England

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
CT	38	394.8	100
ME	81	329.7	45
MA	56	325.2	21
NH	22	28.5	5
RI	14	160.5	23
VT	14	29.4	2
Region	225	1,268.1	196
U.S.	6,487	59,941.1	10,716

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a dental care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The Primary Care Shortage in the Far West

September 2020 reports from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) tell us that over 81 million Americans lived in a primary care shortage area. Known by the HRSA as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), a HPSA with a primary care shortage is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to basic healthcare services is substandard because of a lack of primary care providers. This HRSA designation is based upon the number of people living within the HPSA relative to the number of primary care providers that service the area. For its purposes, the HRSA considers "primary care" providers to include MDs and DOs (Doctors of Osteopathy) who provide services as general or family practitioners, general internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians or gynecologists. Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for primary care shortage area designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a primary care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain thresholds set by the federal government. HPSA's receiving a primary care shortage area designation are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more primary care service providers to their communities. As of September 2020, the HRSA estimates that all primary care shortage areas in the U.S. would need nearly 15,000 more primary care providers to eliminate all such shortage designations.

HPSAs in the six-state Far West region account for about 16.2% of the U.S. population who live in primary care shortage areas and just under 17.8% of the national shortage of primary care providers. To eliminate these shortages, the HRSA estimates that Far West region shortage areas would need 2,654 additional primary care providers. Here is a summary look at the primary care shortage in the Far West region of the United States:

The Primary Care Shortage in the Far West

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
AK	301	231.8	59
CA	626	7,996.8	1,545
HI	31	507.3	80
NV	72	950.4	171
OR	144	911.4	143
WA	200	2,643.1	656
Region	1,374	13,240.8	2,654
U.S.	7,203	81,516.3	14,945

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a primary care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Primary Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, our trusted link for December, 2020

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an independent executive agency established in 1970 by President Richard Nixon. To insure a cleaner, healthier environment, the EPA performs research, monitors the water, air, products, and land across the U.S. It sets safety standards, writes regulations, and works with the states to enforce them.  Its accomplishments include setting clean air standards that led to innovations including catalytic converters limiting dangerous toxins like DDT and asbestos reducing use of lead in paint and gasoline the fuel economy testing program.  More than half the EPA employees are engineers, scientists and environmental protection specialists. The sectors they research for environmental and health impact include agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and utilities for water, sewage, and electricity. Resources they provide to the public include AirNow.gov, a real-time guide to local air quality, including fire maps Drinking water reports Brownfield grants for cleaning up contaminated properties Education on reducing lead exposure, mold threats, radon, bed bugs, and other problems Grants for research, monitoring, and training Small business contracts and funding for environmental protection projects Their basic research programs include climate change ecosystems safer chemicals Over a dozen Hotlines are available for reporting and inquiring about issues including asbestos, drinking water, oil pollution, pesticides, and toxic substances.  In addition to subscribing to their news releases, you can follow their work on Facebook Twitter in English and Spanish YouTube

Visit the Interactive Mold House for safety tips

The Mental Health Care Shortage in the Southeast

September 2020 data released by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) indicates that over 119 million Americans lived in mental health care shortage areas. These areas, known as Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) by the HRSA, are geographic areas, population groups, or facilities where access to mental health care services is substandard because of a lack of mental health care providers. In the case of mental health care services, a HRSA shortage designation is based upon the number of people residing within the HPSA relative to the number of mental health care providers that service the area. Certain areas earn a shortage designation based on its population relative to the number of psychiatrists in the area, while others earn designation based upon its population relative to the number of psychiatrists and core mental health providers. For HRSA purposes, core mental health providers include clinical social psychologists, clinical social workers, marriage & family therapists and psychiatric nurse specialists. Although the population-to-provider ratio necessary to qualify for designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all mental health care shortage areas have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain thresholds established by federal regulations. Areas designated as having a mental health care shortage are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more mental health care providers to work with these communities. The HRSA estimates that, as of September 2020, all mental health care shortage areas in the U.S. would need about 6,500 more mental health care providers to eliminate all such shortage designations.

The twelve-state Southeast region of the country suffers from the most acute mental health care shortage of all regions of the U.S.  HPSAs in the region account for about 29.7% of the U.S. population who live in mental health care shortage areas and 34.0% of the shortage of mental health care providers nationally.  The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the Southeast would need nearly 2,200 more mental health care providers in order to eliminate the mental health care shortage in the region.  Here is a summary look at the mental health care shortage in the Southeast:

The Mental Health Care Shortage in the Southeast

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
AL	58	2,927.8	156
AR	48	1,426.3	67
FL	204	6,387.8	388
GA	87	4,911.3	193
KY	112	3,204.3	177
LA	150	3,399.0	159
MS	83	2,375.3	278
NC	178	2,670.8	149
SC	70	2,304.8	112
TN	72	3,224.3	295
VA	73	1,943.5	102
WV	101	708.1	122
Region	1,236	35,483.3	2,198
U.S.	5,733	119,344.0	6,464

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a mental health care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Mental Health Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The Dental Care Shortage in the Rocky Mountain Region

A September 2020 report from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) revealed that close to 60 million Americans lived in dental care shortage areas. These areas, known as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) by the HRSA, are geographic areas, population groups, or facilities where access to dental care services is substandard because of a lack of dentists and dental auxiliaries (any non-dentist staff employed by the dentist to assist in the operation of the practice). With respect to dental care, HRSA designation criteria is based upon the number of people living within the HPSA relative to the number of dental care providers that service the area. Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for designation as a dental care shortage area varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a dental care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain limits set by federal regulations. Areas receiving a dental care shortage designation by the HRSA are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more dental care providers to work with these communities. As of September 2020, nearly 6,500 areas or settings had been designated as dental care shortage areas by the HRSA.  The HRSA estimates that these HPSAs would need about 10,700 additional dental care providers to eliminate all such designations.

HPSAs in the five-state Rocky Mountain region account for about 4.1% of the U.S. population who live in dental care shortage areas and about 3.1% of the national shortage of dental care providers. The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the Rocky Mountain region would need more than 330 additional dental care providers in order to eliminate the dental care shortage in the region. Here is a summary look at the dental care shortage in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States:

The Dental Care Shortage in the Rocky Mountain Region

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
CO	100	848.2	137
ID	94	493.8	58
MT	123	351.2	61
UT	62	703.5	73
WY	31	49.7	5
Region	410	2,446.4	334
U.S.	6,487	59,941.1	10,716

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a dental care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The Primary Care Shortage in the Southwest

September 2020 reports from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) indicate that more than 81 million Americans lived in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). An HPSA with a primary care shortage is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to basic healthcare services is substandard because of a lack of primary care providers. This HRSA designation is based upon the number of people living within the HPSA relative to the number of primary care providers that service the area. For its purposes, the HRSA considers "primary care" providers to include Doctors of Medicine (MD) or Doctors of Osteopathy (DO) who provide services as family or general practitioners, general internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians or gynecologists. Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for primary care shortage area designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a primary care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain limits stipulated by federal regulations. HPSA's receiving a primary care shortage area designation are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more primary care services to their communities. The HRSA estimates that, as of September 2020, all primary care HPSAs in the U.S. would need nearly 15,000 more primary care providers to eliminate all such shortage designations.

HPSAs in the four-state Southwest region account for about 15.5% of the U.S. population who live in primary care shortage areas and just under 13.3% of the national shortage of primary care providers. To eliminate these shortages, the HRSA estimates that Southwest region HPSAs would need almost 2,000 additional primary care providers. Here is a summary look at the primary care shortage in the Southwest region of the United States:

The Primary Care Shortage in the Southwest

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
AZ	217	2,848.6	560
NM	97	1,055.8	260
OK	173	1,256.9	181
TX	411	7,434.5	982
Region	898	12,595.8	1,983
U.S.	7,203	81,516.3	14,945

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a primary care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Primary Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

Covid-19 and Medicaid Enrollment in the Great Plains Region

In an earlier commentary, we examined the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on enrollment in Medicaid, the national medical insurance program for eligible individuals with limited income and resources. Historically, Medicaid enrollment increases during economic downturns. Weak economic conditions translate into more unemployment, more people without job-based health insurance, more people with lower household incomes, and more people who can qualify for health insurance coverage through the Medicaid program. This is in contrast to periods of expanding economic activity, when Medicaid enrollment tends to stagnate and even decline.

Like previous economic downturns, the Covid-19 induced economic contraction during 2020 has precipitated an expansion in Medicaid enrollment.  Moreover, agencies that manage the Medicaid program in each state anticipate still more growth in enrollment in coming months.  After recent years of stagnant enrollment numbers, every region of the U.S. has witnessed gains in Medicaid enrollment since the Covid-19 pandemic began. In the seven-state Great Plains region, the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak has been more severe than in other sections of the country, as Medicaid enrollment in the region grew 7.1% during the first half of 2020, much more than the 6.5% enrollment growth nationally during the same period. Here's a summary look at Medicaid enrollment growth in the Great Plains region as Covid-19 spread during the first half of 2020:

Covid-19 and Medicaid Enrollment in the Great Plains Region

	Medicaid Enrollment (in 000s)
State	July 1, 2020	Jan 1, 2020		Growth
IA	628.2	600.1		4.7%
KS	343.0	319.2		7.5%
MN	1,097.7	1,039.4		5.6%
MO	900.4	811.6		10.9%
NE	224.2	212.2		5.7%
ND	96.2	87.7		9.8%
SD	99.9	93.5		6.8%
Region	3,389.7	3,163.7		7.1%
National	68,826.6	64,621.4		6.5%

Source: Medicaid.gov Enrollment Reports.

The Mental Health Care Shortage in the Great Lakes Region

September 30, 2020 data published by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) indicates that more than 119 million Americans lived in areas or settings designated as a mental health care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). A mental health care HPSA is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to mental health care services is substandard because it lacks a sufficient number of mental health care providers. In the case of mental health care services, a HRSA shortage designation is based upon the number of people residing within the HPSA relative to the number of mental health care providers that service the area. Certain areas receive a shortage designation based on its population relative to the number of psychiatrists in the area, while others are designated based upon its population relative to the number of psychiatrists and core mental health providers. For HRSA purposes, core mental health providers include clinical social workers, clinical social psychologists, marriage & family therapists and psychiatric nurse specialists. Although the population-to-provider ratio necessary to qualify for designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a mental health care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain limits established by federal regulations. Areas designated as having a mental health care shortage are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more mental health care providers to work with these communities. The HRSA estimates that, as of September 2020, all mental health care shortage areas in the U.S. would need about 6,500 more mental health care providers to eliminate all such shortage designations.

HPSAs in the Great Lakes states account for about 15.2% of the U.S. population who live in mental health care shortage areas and 12.9% of the national shortage of mental health care providers.  The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the Great Lakes region would need 837 more mental health care providers in order to eliminate the mental health care shortage in the region.  Here is a summary look at the mental health care shortage in the Great Lakes region:

The Mental Health Care Shortage in the Great Lakes Region

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
IL	166	4,873.5	219
IN	84	4,426.8	196
MI	235	4,224.4	207
OH	111	2,385.1	109
WI	114	2,186.0	106
Region	710	18,095.8	837
U.S.	5,733	119,344.0	6,464

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a mental health care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Mental Health Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The Dental Care Shortage in the MidEast Region

September 2020 data released from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) revealed that nearly 60 million Americans lived in a dental care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). An HPSA is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to healthcare services is substandard because it lacks a sufficient number of primary care, dental care, or mental health care providers. With respect to dental care, HRSA designation criteria is based upon the number of people living within the HPSA relative to the number of dental care providers that service the area. "Dental Care" providers, for HRSA purposes, include dentists and dental auxiliaries (any non-dentist staff employed by the dentist to assist in the operation of the practice). Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a dental care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain thresholds set by federal regulations. Areas receiving a dental care shortage designation by the HRSA are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more dental care providers to work with these communities. As of September 2020, nearly 6,500 areas or settings had been designated as dental care shortage areas by the HRSA.  The HRSA estimates that these HPSAs would need about 10,700 additional dental care providers to eliminate all such designations.

HPSAs in the MidEast region account for about 10.5% of the U.S. population who live in dental care shortage areas and about 10.9% of the national shortage of dental care providers. The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the MidEast region would need more than 1,160 additional dental care providers in order to eliminate the dental care shortage in the region. Here is a summary look at the dental care shortage in the MidEast region of the United States:

The Dental Care Shortage in the MidEast Region

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
DC	12	82.9	21
DE	10	178.1	50
MD	42	835.3	148
NJ	35	39.8	17
NY	132	3,165.3	655
PA	153	1,987.5	277
Region	384	6,288.9	1,168
U.S.	6,487	59,941.1	10,716

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a dental care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The Primary Care Shortage in New England

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reports that, as of September 2020, more than 81 million Americans lived in areas or settings designated as a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). An HPSA with a primary care shortage is a geographic area, population group, or facility that has poor access to basic healthcare services because it lacks a sufficient number of primary care providers. This HRSA designation is based upon the number of people residing within the HPSA relative to the number of primary care providers that service the area. For its purposes, the HRSA considers "primary care" providers to mean Doctors of Medicine (MD) or Doctors of Osteopathy (DO) who provide services as general or family practitioners, general internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, obstetricians or gynecologists. Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for primary care shortage area designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a primary care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain thresholds established by federal regulations. HPSA's receiving a primary care shortage area designation are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more primary care services to their communities. The HRSA estimates that, as of September 30, 2020, all primary care HPSAs in the U.S. would need nearly 15,000 more primary care providers to eliminate all shortage designations.

HPSAs in the six-state New England region account for 1.6% of the U.S. population who live in primary care shortage areas and just over 2.0% of the national shortage of primary care providers. To eliminate these shortages, the HRSA estimates that New England area HPSAs would need more than 300 additional primary care providers. Here is a summary look at the primary care shortage in New England

The Primary Care Shortage in New England

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
CT	41	441.2	148
MA	62	530.6	109
ME	69	94.5	15
NH	27	94.3	13
RI	14	159.8	17
VT	15	14.1	3
Region	228	1,334.5	305
U.S.	7,203	81,516.3	14,945

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a primary care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Primary Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

Covid-19's Impact on Medicaid Enrollment in the Rocky Mountain Region

In a prior commentary, we examined the impact of Covid-19 on enrollment in Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program for eligible individuals with limited income and resources. Historically, Medicaid enrollment expands during periods of economic hardship. A weak economy produces more unemployment, more people without work-related medical insurance, more people with lower household incomes, and more people who meet eligibility requirements for health insurance coverage through the Medicaid program. In contrast, when the U.S. economy is strong Medicaid enrollment growth tends to slow or even decline.

As in previous economic downturns, the Covid-19 induced recession has precipitated an increase in Medicaid enrollment. And agencies that manage the Medicaid program in each state are forecasting still more enrollment growth in the months ahead. Every region of the U.S. has witnessed growth in its Medicaid enrollment numbers since the Covid-19 pandemic began. In the Rocky Mountain states, Covid-19's impact on Medicaid enrollment has been more severe than in most regions of the country, as enrollment numbers in the five-state region grew 7.1%, as compared to 6.5% nationally, during the first half of 2020. Here's a summary look at the Covid-19's impact on Medicaid enrollment growth in the Rocky Mountain region during the first six months of 2020:

Covid-19's Impact on Medicaid Enrollment in the Rocky Mountain Region

	Medicaid Enrollment (in 000s)
State	July 1, 2020	Jan 1, 2020		Growth
CO	1,284.2	1,204.0		6.7%
ID	319.0	285.4		11.8%
MT	225.1	231.6		-2.8%
UT	305.6	271.8		12.4%
WY	56.3	51.8		8.7%
Region	2,190.2	2,044.5		7.1%
National	68,826.6	64,621.4		6.5%

Source: Medicaid.gov Enrollment Reports.

The Mental Health Care Shortage in the Southwest

According to September 30, 2020 data published by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), more than 119 million Americans lived in areas or settings designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) for mental health care services. A mental health care HPSA is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to mental health care is substandard because it lacks a sufficient number of mental health care providers. With respect to mental health care, HRSA designation criteria is based upon the population within the HPSA relative to the number of mental health care providers that service the area. Certain areas receive a shortage designation based on its population relative to the number of psychiatrists in the area, while others are designated based upon its population relative to the total number of psychiatrists and core mental health providers in the area.  Core mental health providers, for HRSA purposes, include clinical social workers, clinical social psychologists, marriage & family therapists and psychiatric nurse specialists. Although the population-to-provider ratio necessary to qualify for designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a mental health care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain limits established by federal regulations. Areas designated as a mental health care HPSA become eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more mental health care services to these medically underserved communities. As of September 30, 2020, the HRSA estimates that all mental health care HPSAs in the U.S. would need about 6,500 more mental health care providers to eliminate all shortage designations.

HPSAs in the Southwest account for about 17.5% of the U.S. population who live in mental health care shortage areas.  The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the Southwest states would need 979 more mental health care providers in order to eliminate the mental health care shortage in the region.  Here is a summary look at the mental health care shortage in the Southwest region of the U.S.:

The Mental Health Care Shortage in the Southwest

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
AZ	210	2,862.7	181
NM	80	1,366.1	78
OK	114	1,518.0	76
TX	410	15,072.2	644
Region	814	20,819.0	979
U.S.	5,733	119,344.0	6,464

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a mental health care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Mental Health Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)

The Dental Care Shortage in the Southeast

According to September 30, 2020 data published by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), about 60 million Americans lived in areas or settings designated as a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) for dental care. An HPSA is a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to healthcare services is substandard because it lacks a sufficient number of primary care, dental or mental health care providers. In the case of dental care, HRSA designation criteria is based upon the population within the HPSA relative to the number of dental care providers that service the area. For HRSA purposes, dental care providers include Dentists and dental auxiliaries (any non-dentist staff employed by the dentist to assist in the operation of the practice). Although the population-to-provider ratio needed to qualify for designation varies by HPSA type (geographic, population or facility), all HPSAs with a dental care shortage designation have a population-to-provider ratio that meets or exceeds certain thresholds set by federal regulations. Close to 6,500 areas or settings in the U.S. have received an HRSA designation as a dental care shortage area. Areas so designated by the HRSA are eligible to participate in federal programs aimed at attracting more dental care providers to practice in these medically underserved areas. As of September 30, 2020, the HRSA estimates that all HPSAs in the U.S. with a dental care shortage would need about 10,700 more dental care providers to eliminate all shortage designations.

HPSAs in the twelve-state Southeast region account for about 41.2% of the U.S. population who live in dental care shortage areas.  The HRSA estimates that HPSAs in Southeast would need just over 4,500 more dental care providers in order to eliminate the dental care shortage in the region.  Here is a closer look at the dental care shortage in the Southeast:

The Dental Care Shortage in the Southeast

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortage
AL	81	1,828.6	376
AR	85	619.5	101
FL	256	5,921.5	1,320
GA	181	2,010.7	393
KY	140	638.9	128
LA	148	2,148.5	252
MS	145	1,801.4	248
NC	190	3,439.9	713
SC	90	1,867.4	264
TN	146	2,367.9	426
VA	97	1,300.1	173
WV	104	725.4	135
Region	1,663	24,669.8	4,529
U.S.	6,487	59,941.1	10,716

(1) Designated Geographic, Population Group and Facility HPSAs with a dental care shortage

(2) Population of designated HPSAs, in thousands

(3) Dental Care practitioners needed to remove HPSA Designation

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, 9/30/20 (HRSA)