County health data
Sunflower County, MS
CDC PLACES estimates diabetes at 19.3% of adults in Sunflower County (Mississippi: 17.0%). This county has 6 HRSA shortage designations (3 area or population, 3 facility), 2 hospitals, and 7 health center sites.
License: a US government work, in the public domain (Public Domain Mark 1.0).
For help with food, housing, utilities, or rides in Sunflower County, call 211 or visit 211.org.
Health measures compared with the state
40 measures for adults in Sunflower County (about 19,260 adults). 24 have a Mississippi figure from the same survey.
Largest differences from the Mississippi figure: obesity 48.6% vs 40.1% (+8.5 points), no leisure-time physical activity 41.8% vs 33.4% (+8.4 points), and fair or poor health 32.2% vs 24.4% (+7.8 points).
Health Outcomes
| Measure | Sunflower County | Mississippi | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthritis | 29.6% | 31.2% | 26.3% | 2023 |
| High blood pressure | 50.4% | 46.0% | 34.0% | 2023 |
| Cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 5.6% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Current asthma | 10.8% | 7.1% | 10.2% | 2023 |
| Coronary heart disease | 8.1% | 5.0% | 4.0% | 2023 |
| COPD | 10.1% | 7.6% | 6.3% | 2023 |
| Depression | 17.1% | 18.1% | 21.8% | 2023 |
| Diagnosed diabetes | 19.3% | 17.0% | 11.8% | 2023 |
| High cholesterol, adults ever screened | 37.3% | 39.8% | 37.2% | 2023 |
| Obesity | 48.6% | 40.1% | 34.4% | 2023 |
| Stroke | 5.8% | 5.3% | 3.3% | 2023 |
| All teeth lost, ages 65 and older | 27.6% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Prevention
| Measure | Sunflower County | Mississippi | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, ages 18 to 64 | 16.2% | 13.6% | 9.3% | 2023 |
| Taking blood pressure medicine, adults with high blood pressure | 79.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Routine checkup in the past year | 82.5% | 82.3% | 78.4% | 2023 |
| Cholesterol screening | 83.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Colorectal cancer screening, ages 45 to 75 | 61.1% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Dental visit in the past year | 6.3% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
| Mammogram, women ages 50 to 74 | 74.7% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Risk Behaviors
| Measure | Sunflower County | Mississippi | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drinking | 12.1% | 13.1% | 15.1% | 2023 |
| Current smoking | 21.4% | 15.6% | 12.1% | 2023 |
| No leisure-time physical activity | 41.8% | 33.4% | 24.5% | 2023 |
| Short sleep | 41.9% | n/a | n/a | 2022 |
Health Status
| Measure | Sunflower County | Mississippi | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health | 32.2% | 24.4% | 18.5% | 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress | 18.9% | 15.4% | 15.4% | 2023 |
| Frequent physical distress | 16.8% | 14.3% | 12.6% | 2023 |
Disability
| Measure | Sunflower County | Mississippi | US | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive disability | 21.3% | 17.0% | 13.7% | 2023 |
| Any disability | 44.3% | n/a | n/a | 2023 |
| Hearing disability | 7.6% | 9.3% | 7.4% | 2023 |
| Independent living disability | 13.6% | 9.8% | 7.8% | 2023 |
| Mobility disability | 23.4% | 20.2% | 13.4% | 2023 |
| Self-care disability | 7.9% | 5.2% | 3.7% | 2023 |
| Vision disability | 10.5% | 7.6% | 5.0% | 2023 |
Health-Related Social Needs
| Measure | Sunflower County | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Lack of social and emotional support | 35.7% | 2023 |
| Food insecurity in the past year | 36.8% | 2023 |
| Received food stamps in the past year | 26.0% | 2023 |
| Housing insecurity in the past year | 26.8% | 2023 |
| Lack of reliable transportation in the past year | 18.9% | 2023 |
| Loneliness | 40.1% | 2023 |
| Utility shut-off threat in the past year | 19.1% | 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 6 designated shortage rows in Sunflower County: primary care 2 (highest score 20), mental health 2 (highest score 24), and dental 2 (highest score 15). 3 cover a geographic area or population group; the other 3 are facility designations.
| Discipline | Area or population | Facility | Highest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| primary care | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| mental health | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| dental | 1 | 1 | 15 |
Area and population designations
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower County | primary care | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 20 |
| Mental Health Catchment Area 6 | mental health | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 19 |
| Sunflower County | dental | High Needs Geographic HPSA | 15 |
Facility designations (3)
| Designation | Discipline | Type | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF-Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) | mental health | Correctional Facility | 24 |
| Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) | primary care | Correctional Facility | 12 |
| CF-Mississippi State Penitentiary (MSP) | dental | Correctional Facility | 3 |
In the Type column, a High Needs Geographic HPSA is a geographic designation that also meets HRSA's added tests for high need.
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 Sunflower 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH SUNFLOWER MEDICAL CENTER CAHCritical access | RULEVILLE | 1 | 21.6% | 17.0% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| SOUTH SUNFLOWER COUNTY HOSPITAL | INDIANOLA | 2 | 21.8% | 17.6% | n/a | 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
7 active health center sites in Sunflower County, run by 1 organization.
| Site ↑ | Health center | Address | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHC - A. W. James Elementary School Clinic | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 400 South Blvd | Drew 38737 |
| DHC - Carver Elementary School | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 404 Jefferson St | Indianola 38751 |
| DHC - Lockard Elementary School | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 302 College Ave | Indianola 38751 |
| DHC - Moorhead Central School | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 506 W Washington St | Moorhead 38761 |
| DHC-Indianola | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 118 Front Ave | Indianola 38751 |
| DHC-Moorhead | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 598 Ingram St | Moorhead 38761 |
| DHC-Ruleville Middle School | DELTA HEALTH CENTER, INC. | 250 Oscar St | Ruleville 38771 |
Source: HRSA health center service delivery and look-alike sites, as of October 14, 2026. Publisher page
Mississippi rural health plan
The MS RHTP strengthens rural healthcare by expanding access, improving care coordination, modernizing infrastructure, growing the workforce, and using telehealth to improve health outcomes.
Initiatives, as the state's abstract names them (page 37):
- Statewide Rural Health Assessment
- Coordinated Regional Integrated Systems (CRIS)
- Workforce Expansion Initiative (WEI)
- Health Technology Advancement and Modernization (HTAM)
- Telehealth Adoption and Provider Support (TAPS)
- Building Rural Infrastructure for Delivery, Growth and Efficiency (BRIDGE) Initiative
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
Neighboring counties
Medicare plans in Sunflower County, MS
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