County health data
Howell County, MO
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 14.9% of adults in Howell County (Missouri: 12.3%). This county has 24 HRSA shortage designations, 2 hospitals, and 2 health center sites.
License. US government work, Public Domain Mark 1.0.
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Howell County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Howell County (about 30,898 adults). 24 have a Missouri figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Missouri figure: fair or poor health 27.5% vs 19.9% (+7.6 points), current smoking 21.6% vs 15.3% (+6.3 points), and no leisure-time physical activity 34.4% vs 28.1% (+6.3 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Howell County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 34.7% | 29.1% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 40.7% | 36.2% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 9.5% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 11.2% | 9.9% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.1% | 4.6% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 12.0% | 8.5% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 26.7% | 23.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 14.9% | 12.3% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 39.3% | 38.5% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 36.8% | 35.3% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 4.8% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 24.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Howell County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 10.8% | 8.6% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 78.4% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 78.4% | 79.1% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 82.2% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 60.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 50.8% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 72.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Howell County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 14.2% | 16.3% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 21.6% | 15.3% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 34.4% | 28.1% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 38.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Howell County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 27.5% | 19.9% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 19.3% | 16.7% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 17.9% | 14.0% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Howell County | Missouri | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 21.0% | 16.8% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 43.1% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 10.9% | 9.7% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 12.2% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 21.3% | 16.6% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 5.5% | 4.7% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 7.0% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Howell County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 20.0% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 18.3% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 16.3% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 13.9% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 10.3% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 31.6% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 10.7% | 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
Health professional shortage areas
HRSA lists 24 designated shortage rows in Howell County: primary care 8 (highest score 21), mental health 8 (highest score 23), and dental 8 (highest score 25). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 21 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 7 | 21 |
| mental health | 1 | 7 | 23 |
| dental | 1 | 7 | 25 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LI-Howell County | dental | HPSA Population | 20 |
| LI-Howell County | primary care | HPSA Population | 18 |
| LI - Region 18 MHCA | mental health | HPSA Population | 18 |
Facility designations (21)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH | dental | Federally Qualified Health Center | 25 |
| THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH | mental health | Federally Qualified Health Center | 23 |
| THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH | primary care | Federally Qualified Health Center | 21 |
| MERCY CLINIC FAMILY MEDICINE-MOUNTAIN VIEW | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER MOUNTAIN VIEW | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| BURTON CREEK MEDICAL CLINIC | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| MEDICAL CLINIC OF WILLOW SPRINGS | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| MERCY CLINIC FAMILY MEDICINE-MOUNTAIN VIEW | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER MOUNTAIN VIEW | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER PEDIATRICS | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| WESTWOOD RURAL HEALTH CLINIC | mental health | Rural Health Clinic | 18 |
| BURTON CREEK MEDICAL CLINIC | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| MEDICAL CLINIC OF WILLOW SPRINGS | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER PEDIATRICS | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| WESTWOOD RURAL HEALTH CLINIC | primary care | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| BURTON CREEK MEDICAL CLINIC | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| MEDICAL CLINIC OF WILLOW SPRINGS | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| MERCY CLINIC FAMILY MEDICINE-MOUNTAIN VIEW | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER MOUNTAIN VIEW | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| OZARKS MEDICAL CENTER PEDIATRICS | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
| WESTWOOD RURAL HEALTH CLINIC | dental | Rural Health Clinic | 17 |
Source: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Hospitals and readmission rates
CMS Care Compare lists 2 acute care or critical access hospitals in Howell County, 1 of them critical access. None has a readmission rate CMS rates worse than the national rate.
| Hospital | City | Stars | Heart failure | Pneumonia | COPD | Heart attack | Hip or knee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MERCY ST FRANCIS HOSPITALCritical access | MOUNTAIN VIEW | n/a | n/a | 16.5% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| OZARKS HEALTHCARE | WEST PLAINS | 2 | 20.9% | 15.7% | 19.7% | 14.4% | 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
2 active health center sites in Howell County, run by 1 organization.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMCHC Support Site: 1113-1119 Independence Drive | THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH | 1119 Independence Dr | West Plains 65775 |
| Southern Missouri Community Health Center West Plains Clinic | THE RURAL ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FAMILY HEALTH | 1137 Independence Dr | West Plains 65775 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Missouri rural health plan
Missouri Transformation of Rural Community Health Care (ToRCH Care) Project
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 39):
- Regional Coordinating Networks and Hub Activation
- Alternative Payment Models
- Digital backbone
- Rural Health Workforce Programs
- Provider Transformation
CMS says the abstract budgets are illustrative and are not award amounts, so none are shown.
Source: CMS Rural Health Transformation Program state project abstracts, as of December 2025. Publisher page
For health centers, health departments, and nonprofits
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Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Howell County, MO
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 access hospitals 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