Health Professions Shortage Area (HPSA)

What is a "HPSA"?
HPSA stands for Health Professions Shortage Area. A HPSA is defined as a county that does not have sufficient medical staff to properly server a geographic area, typically bsaed on census tract level. There are many catergories that HPSA designations apply to, such as emergency medical personnel, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, behavioral health professionals, nurse practitioners, nurses, and many allied health professionals like physical and occupational therapists.

What is New Mexico AHEC doing about HPSA's in New Mexico?
The need for health personnel is acute throughout NM, reaching crisis proportions in some counties for specific disciplines. As one of our priorities, we recruit individuals from underserved communities and underrepresented minorities into health professional careers. Once recruited, AHEC provides continuing education opportunities to indivduals as they fufill their study requirements. Balancing urban health professional education with training in medically underserved areas increases the likelihood that graduates will practice in those areas.

How Do I Find Health Professions Shortage Areas In New Mexico?
We encourage you to become aware if your county has a health professional shortage by visitng the HRSA website, where you can search by state, county and the medical disciplines of primary medical care, dental and mental health.

What can I do if my county has a health professional shortage?
Talk to your state legislators and representatives. Tell them your county has a shortage of health professionals and ask they do all can to support programs like New Mexico AHEC.