Healthcare shortage areas revealed in southwest Michigan
Data compiled by federal agency Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) showed more than 80 percent of rural southwest Michigan is medically underserved.
Shortage area maps created in 2016 revealed 16 of the regions 19 counties have a shortage of primary healthcare providers.Van Buren County, which includes the communities of Lawrence, Decatur, and Lawton, is considered 'high needs.' Its listed as one of four counties in rural southwest Michigan with a death by drug overdose rate higher than the national average of 21.7 per 100,000.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, distance is one large factor why the rate of accidental deaths is nearly 50 percent higher in rural areas in the U.S.Additional HRSA-based research found 11 of 19 counties are shortage areas for mental health, which means there arent enough primary or behavioral healthcare providers to meet the needs of the population.