County health data
Chaffee County, CO
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 10.2% of adults in Chaffee County (Colorado: 8.6%). This county has 9 HRSA shortage designations (3 area or population, 6 facility), 1 hospital, and 1 health center site.
License: a US government work, in the public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0).
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Chaffee County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
33 measures for adults in Chaffee County (about 17,609 adults). 24 have a Colorado figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Colorado figure: arthritis 29.2% vs 22.5% (+6.7 points), high blood pressure 32.3% vs 27.3% (+5.0 points), and coronary heart disease 7.1% vs 3.1% (+4.0 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Chaffee County | Colorado | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 29.2% | 22.5% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 32.3% | 27.3% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 10.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 10.8% | 11.3% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 7.1% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 7.1% | 4.7% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 21.6% | 21.4% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 10.2% | 8.6% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 35.6% | 32.5% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 25.7% | 24.8% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 3.6% | 2.5% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 14.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Chaffee County | Colorado | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 9.3% | 11.6% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 75.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 73.8% | 72.3% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 87.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 67.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 62.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 71.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Chaffee County | Colorado | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 16.2% | 18.0% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 12.1% | 10.2% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 18.0% | 17.5% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 29.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Chaffee County | Colorado | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 16.7% | 15.2% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 14.9% | 15.5% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 13.1% | 11.9% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Chaffee County | Colorado | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 13.2% | 13.5% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 28.6% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 8.2% | 6.3% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 7.1% | 6.4% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 12.7% | 10.0% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 3.4% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 4.4% | 4.2% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
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Health professional shortage areas
HRSA, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, designates Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs): places, population groups, or facilities with too few primary care, mental health, or dental providers. An area designation covers a geographic area or a population group, such as low-income residents. A facility designation covers one site, such as a health center or clinic. Each has a score from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need.
HRSA lists 9 designated shortage rows in Chaffee County: primary care 2 (highest score 17), mental health 4 (highest score 21), and dental 3 (highest score 15). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 6 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| mental health | 1 | 3 | 21 |
| dental | 1 | 2 | 15 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Central Mental Health Catchment Area | mental health | Geographic HPSA | 18 |
| LI - Buena Vista | primary care | HPSA Population | 17 |
| LI Buena Vista | dental | HPSA Population | 12 |
Facility designations (6)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF-Buena Vista Correctional Complex | mental health | Correctional Facility | 21 |
| SALIDA HEALTH CENTER | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 15 |
| Buena Vista Correctional Complex | mental health | Correctional Facility | 15 |
| SALIDA HEALTH CENTER | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 15 |
| SALIDA HEALTH CENTER | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 15 |
| Buena Vista Correctional Facility | dental | Correctional Facility | 6 |
In the Type column, a Geographic HPSA covers everyone in the area; and an HPSA Population designation covers one group of people in the area. In HRSA's designation names, LI means low-income residents.
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 1 acute care or critical access hospital in Chaffee County, 1 of them critical access. The CMS file in this snapshot does not compare these rates with the national rate, so none is marked better or worse.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEART OF THE ROCKIES REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTERCritical access | SALIDA | 1 | 20.9% | 16.7% | 19.4% | n/a | n/a |
Each rate is the share of patients readmitted within 30 days of discharge, July 2023 to June 2025. "n/a" means CMS did not publish a rate for that hospital.
Source: CMS Care Compare hospital general information, as of August 13, 2026. Publisher page
Source: CMS Care Compare unplanned hospital visits, as of September 30, 2026. Publisher page
Health centers
1 active health center site in Chaffee County, run by 1 organization.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley-Wide Buena Vista | VALLEY-WIDE HEALTH SYSTEMS | 707 US Highway 24 N | Buena Vista 81211 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Chaffee County, CO
About this data
County rates are CDC PLACES model-based estimates of adults, built from the CDC BRFSS survey and Census population data. State and US figures are BRFSS survey results for the same year. They are not averages of counties, and small differences may not be meaningful.
Shortage rows are HRSA designations with status Designated. Scores run from 0 to 25 (0 to 26 for dental); a higher score means greater need. Hospitals are acute care and critical accesshospitals CMS lists in the county, with 30-day rates of unplanned readmission. Health centers are active HRSA-funded and look-alike sites.
Rural health plan initiatives are copied as the state wrote them. Nothing here is medical advice.
Source: CDC PLACES county data, as of December 4, 2025. Publisher page
Source: CDC BRFSS prevalence data, as of September 15, 2026. Publisher page
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page