Health care designations are a way of analyzing health care access (or the lack of access) for all of the people in a geographic area (e.g., Morrow County), a specific population in an area (e.g., homeless individuals in Jackson County), and a certain type of facility (e.g., Federally Qualified Health Centers). These designations provide eligibility for some federal (e.g., National Health Service Corps) and state (e.g., Oregon loan repayment) resources to help Oregon’s underserved areas.

• List of federal and state health care need designations by Zip Code and ORH Service Area
• Summary of program eligibility per shortage designation

Oregon Recognized Designations

ORH Area of Unmet Health Care Need (AUHCN)

Each year ORH assesses the unmet health care needs for rural and frontier Oregon communities. The AUHCN designation uses nine variables to focus on physical, mental and oral primary care access needs. Total scores as well as details and maps for each Unmet Need Variable are available in the report.

• 2018 AUHCN Report
• Spreadsheet of all 9 variables, with final Unmet Need Scores, by Primary Care Service Area

Oregon Governor’s Health Care Shortage Area

The Oregon Governor’s Health Care Shortage Area Designation was created in 2006 to expand eligibility of Rural Health Clinic certification.

• Oregon Governor’s Shortage Area Map
• 2006 Proposal and Approved Document

Federally Recognized Designations

Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA)

HPSAs are requested by the state through the Oregon Health Authority Primary Care Office and approved by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), that indicate health care provider shortages in primary care; dental health; or mental health. These shortages may be geographic, population, or facility-based. 

Oregon HPSA Maps     

• Primary Care
  
• Mental Health
  
• Dental
  

Medically Underserved Area (MUA) or Population (MUP)

Requested through the Oregon Health Authority Primary Care Office and approved by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), MUAs are areas in which residents have a shortage of personal health services. MUPs may include groups of persons who face economic, cultural or linguistic barriers to health care. Unlike HPSAs, which expire after three years unless re-approved, these do not expire.

Questions?

Contact: Emerson Ong, Data/GIS Analyst | onge@ohsu.edu | (503) 494-5226