- Definition of HPSAs: Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) are designated regions within the U.S. experiencing a shortage of health professionals, categorized into primary medical, dental, and mental health shortages.
- Mental Health HPSA Criteria: For an area to be designated as a Mental Health HPSA, it must have a population-to-provider ratio of at least 30,000 to 1, or 20,000 to 1 in communities with unusually high needs.
- Current Designations: The document provides details on the number of mental health HPSA designations across different states, the percentage of the need met, and the number of additional practitioners needed to eliminate the shortage.
- Importance of Psychiatrists: Most mental health HPSA designations are currently based on the ratio of psychiatrists to the population, without considering the availability of other mental health providers such as psychologists or social workers.
- Data Sources: The statistics in the document are sourced from the Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, as of April 1, 2024
