Designation of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA)

The Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy coordinates with the Federal Bureau of Health Professions – Shortage Designation Branch (SDB) to reduce imbalances in the health workforce that lead to disparity and lack of access in areas, populations or facilities with chronic difficulties attracting health care providers to meet their manpower needs. Federal legislation outlines specific rules for determining degrees of need. The Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy submits applications for various types of health workforce shortage designations to the SDB on behalf of qualifying areas, populations or facilities. Shortage designations allow participation in federal incentive programs aimed to attract health care providers to where they are most needed.

To support taking full advantage of these Federal incentives, the Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy

• Provides information on the designation process to a wide range of interested parties and collaborating organizations
• Helps to determine whether an area, population, or facility qualifies for designation; and if it does, which type
• Offers technical assistance preparing designation applications and advocates on behalf of applicants before the SDB during lengthy, data driven, and detailed designation processes
• Collaborates with Virginia's stakeholders in the health care sector to optimize these federal incentive programs
• Promotes the interests of the Commonwealth's underserved areas and populations before the Shortage Designation Branch by taking a leadership role when new opportunities develop for federal-state collaboration.

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Guidelines for Shortage and Underserved Area Designations

Federal Medically Underserved Areas (MUA)

Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas (MHPSA)

Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA)

Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSA)

Medically Underserved Areas and Populations (MUA/P) - 12 VAC 5-540

Virginia Medically Underserved Areas (VMUA) - Code of Virginia § 32.1-122.5

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