The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designates a geographic area, population group, or facility where access to mental health care is substandard as a mental health HPSA (health professional shortage area). This designation reflects a situation where the number of mental health care practitioners working in the area or community is too small to serve the mental health care needs of a population as large as that of the HPSA.  As of March 31, 2025, HRSA data indicated that mental health care HPSAs in the six-state Far Western U.S. had 18.6 million residents, accounting for just over 15% of the U.S. population who lived in mental health care shortfall areas.  To eliminate the shortfall, the HRSA estimates that HPSAs in the Far Western U.S. would need 994 additional mental health care practitioners.  A further review of HRSA data reveals the following state-level details about the mental health care shortfall in the Far Western U.S.:

The Mental Health Care Shortfall in the Far Western U.S.

State	(1) HPSAs	(2) Population	(3) Shortfall
AK	343	415,445	22
CA	596	11,030,569	569
HI	32	496,429	28
NV	56	1,959,041	153
OR	123	1,390,825	66
WA	208	3,311,047	156
Region	1,358	18,603,356	994
U.S.	6,418	122,383,988	6,202

(1) HRSA-designated Geographic Units, Population Groups, and Facilities with a mental health care shortfall

(2) Population of designated HPSAs

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

Source:  Designated HPSA Quarterly Summary, March 31, 2025 (HRSA)