Resources
Demographics
Maps
- California Medical Service Study Area (MSSA) - Urban, Rural, & Frontier Defined Areas
- Healthcare Workforce Maps & GIS
- Adopted 2000 MSSA Boundaries** with MSSA identifiers
** the zoom tool (magnifying glass) helps get a closer view of your county's MSSA number and boundaries. - Rural Hospital Map
- California Maps of Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA): Dental, Mental Health, and Primary Care; Medically Underserved Areas (MUA); Medically Underserved Populations (MUP)
To view map, click magnifying glass icon to the left of your selection
Data
- Rural/Frontier County Demographics with MSSA identifiers
- California Department of Finance County Profiles
Shortage Areas
California Shortage Designation
Shortage TermsDefinition of Rural: The definition of a Rural Medical Service Study Area is a Medical Service Study Area (MSSA), as defined by the California Health Manpower Policy Commission, that have a population density of 250 persons or less per square mile and have no incorporated area greater than 50,000 persons.
Definition of Frontier: The definition of a Frontier Medical Service Study Area is an MSSA with population densities equal or less than 11 persons per square mile.
Rural and Frontier Medical Service Study Areas
Federal Shortage Designations
2005 Updated Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) for California The Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) recently updated its geographic eligibility list for its Rural Health Grant Programs. These grants are aimed at expanding essential healthcare in rural areas.
The new eligibility uses the 2000 US Census and is based upon Census Tracts rather than strictly zip codes. Abandoning zip codes for Census Tracts should be considered a victory for California, and western states in general. Although the RUCAs remain less than perfect, several poor classifications have been corrected as depicted on the following maps (Shingle Springs for example). More importantly, it is now possible to make quantitative comparisons with the Census Tract-based MSSA boundaries. This represents a significant change in policy of the federal government.
Shortage Area Resources
To request a RUCA map by individual county, please contact the RHSU office at 1-800-237-4492 or rhsu@oshpd.ca.gov
- 2005 California RUCA Map
- 2005 vs. 2004 California RUCA Comparison Map
- 2005 California RUCA vs. Medical Service Study Area (MSSA) Map
For additional information on the RUCA definition, go to the HRSA Rural Health Policy website.
- What is Rural?
Information regarding Federal Rural Designations provided by the Rural Assistance Center (RAC). - United States Census Bureau
- HRSA- Health Professional Shortage Area Database
Region: "Region IX"; State: "CA"; County: "county name"; Discipline: "select desire discipline"; Status: "Designated"; Click on "Submit" button - Medically Underserved Areas and Medically Underserved Populations website
- How To Apply for a Shortage Designation