The National Health Service Corps: disparities in service to the mentally ill in Missouri and the United States.

We analyzed the 2006 U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) data to determine the proportion of physician shortage areas that are eligible for support by the NHSC program. Of 5010 established primary care health professional shortage areas (P-HPSAs) in the U.S., 29% are eligible for NHSC support; of 3679 mental health professional shortage areas (M-HPSAs), however, only 7% are eligible for NHSC support (p < 9.000001). In Missouri, only 1% of M-HPSAs are eligible for NHSC funding. The extent to which NHSC addresses physician shortages for mental health care in the U.S. is far less than that for primary health care. Revisions to the method by which the program prioritizes support of HPSAs are strongly and urgently warranted.