Mental health shortage map for Maine and Nebraska

What this shows

What a mental health shortage area is

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) where there are too few providers for the population. Mental health is one of three HPSA types, alongside primary care and dental care.

Each mental health HPSA gets a score from 0 to 25; higher means a greater shortage. HRSA builds the score from the population-to-provider ratio, the share of residents below the federal poverty level, the share of older adults and children, alcohol and substance use prevalence, and travel time to the nearest source of care outside the area (HRSA scoring criteria).

There are two kinds of designation on this map. A geographic designation covers everyone who lives in the area. A low-income population designation covers only the area's low-income residents, meaning providers there aren't accessible enough to that group even if the area as a whole has some.

Methodology

How we built this map

We retrieved every mental health HPSA designation for Maine and Nebraska from HRSA's official shortage-area data service on September 28, 2026, including each designation's type, status, score, designated population, component areas (counties, towns, or census tracts), and HRSA's last-update date. County boundaries and 2020 Census populations come from the U.S. Census Bureau.

A county is "whole county designated" when HRSA lists the entire county as a component of an active geographic designation. "Whole county, low-income residents" means the entire county is a component of a low-income population designation. "Part of county" means only some towns or tracts are designated. We count only designations with the status "Designated" and list "Proposed for withdrawal" designations separately.

Limits: designations change as HRSA and state primary care offices review them, so check HRSA's Find Shortage Areas tool for the current status of any single designation. Designated populations can overlap where two designations cover the same people, so we don't add them together. This map doesn't include facility designations (such as health centers, rural health clinics, and tribal sites), which HRSA scores separately. A shortage designation measures provider supply against need; it doesn't measure wait times.

We plan to refresh this data every quarter. Questions or corrections: [email protected].

If you live in a shortage area

Finding care when psychiatrists are scarce

A shortage designation doesn't mean care is impossible to get; it means you may need to look further or wait longer. Your primary care clinician can often start treatment for common conditions and refer you on. Our guide to choosing the right kind of mental health professional explains who does what.

Telepsychiatry can help when the nearest psychiatrist is hours away, as long as the clinician is licensed in your state. shrinkMD is opening first in Maine and Nebraska; you can join the waitlist. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911.