Lakes Linked Care
Soshnikov, MD PhD · Public Health Division · Lakes Linked
GitHub
Counties
Isabella Clare Midland
Pipeline: Gratiot · Mecosta · Washtenaw
Educational Research Project · Public Health

Disease Burden in Rural Michigan

Sergey Soshnikov, MD PhD
Public Health Division · Lakes Linked
Mount Pleasant, Michigan · 2026

Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) burden analysis for rural Michigan counties — built for county health planning, CHNA reports, and grant applications (SAMHSA, HRSA, MDHHS). Open CDC and US Census data sources; disability weights adapted from IHME GBD 2021 and WHO reference standards.

3
Counties analyzed
Isabella · Clare · Midland
~37,960
Combined DALYs/yr
Primary estimates · frontier LE 89.1 yrs
3
In pipeline
Gratiot · Mecosta · Washtenaw
About this project

This series quantifies disease burden for rural Michigan counties using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) — a metric that combines premature mortality and years lived with disability into a single, actionable measure. Data sources: CDC PLACES 2023, CDC WONDER 2020–22 mortality files, and US Census Bureau ACS estimates. Disability weights adapted from IHME GBD 2021. Analyses are designed for county health needs assessments, grant applications, and public health planning — not as formal GBD estimates or peer-reviewed epidemiological studies.

Data sources
CDC PLACES 2023
Prevalence · 12 conditions
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CDC WONDER 2020–22
Mortality · cause-of-death
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IHME GBD 2021
Disability weights · DW
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US Census ACS 2022
Demographics · SDOH
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County Health Rankings
500+ health indicators
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Michigan DHHS
Vital stats · YPLL · mortality
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MyMichigan CHNA
Community health needs
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IRS 990 Schedule H
Hospital community benefit
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HRSA Data Warehouse
HPSA / MUA · provider shortage
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HHS ASPE 2026
Value of Statistical Life · VSL
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SAMHSA NSDUH
Substance use · behavioral health
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CDC/ATSDR SVI 2022
Social Vulnerability Index
PendingAccess off
USDA Food Atlas
Food insecurity · access
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Census SAIPE / SAHIE
Income, poverty & insurance
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Completed County Analyses

3 counties · full DALY framework
Completed
v5.0
Isabella County, Michigan
Population 64,565 · regional university county · 15,430 DALYs/yr (primary). Diverse burden profile: cancer #1, CVD #2, opioids, mental health. Multiple HPSA designations.
15,430
DALYs/yr
64,565
Population
Cancer #1
Top condition
15,430 DALYs 5 tools Trends 2017–23 FIPS 26073
View Dashboard
Methods · Economic Impact · Interventions · Trends
Completed
v1.0
Clare County, Michigan
Population 30,013 · MUA-designated · 8,198 DALYs/yr (primary). Severe opioid crisis, aging population (median age 46.8 yrs), highest COPD in comparison set.
8,198
DALYs/yr
30,013
Population
Opioids #1
Crisis priority
8,198 DALYs 3 tools Opioid crisis FIPS 26035
View Dashboard
Methods · Economic Impact · Interventions
Completed
v1.0
Midland County, Michigan
Population 82,884 · Dow Chemical HQ · 14,335 DALYs/yr (planning-grade). Cancer #1, SUD #2. Higher income profile; CDC PLACES 2023 observed county-level data.
14,335
DALYs/yr
82,884
Population
Cancer #1
Top condition
14,335 DALYs $889M burden FIPS 26111
View Dashboard
Methods · Economic Impact

Counties in Development Pipeline

Planned Q3–Q4 2026
Q3 2026

Gratiot County

FIPS 26057

Adjacent to Isabella; rural agricultural economy, no university anchor. Agricultural SDOH contrast study.

Q4 2026

Mecosta County

FIPS 26107

Ferris State University county; rural health desert designation. University demographic parallels Isabella for comparative analysis.

Q4 2026

Washtenaw County

FIPS 26161

Ann Arbor / University of Michigan. Urban reference for rural–urban health equity benchmarking across the Michigan series.

Michigan Coverage Map

3 of 83 counties analyzed

Click a completed county (blue) to open its dashboard. Counties in grey aren't analyzed yet — available on request.

Analyzed (click) In pipeline Not yet analyzed

Boundaries: US Census counties, loaded at runtime. Open full-screen map →

References

  1. GBD 2023 Collaborators. Global burden of 292 causes of death, 1990–2023. Lancet. 2025;406(10):2160–2203.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2024 release. cdc.gov/places. Accessed 2025.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WONDER: Underlying Cause of Death, 2020–2022. wonder.cdc.gov. Accessed 2025.
  4. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Burden of Disease Study 2021: Disability Weights. Seattle, WA: IHME; 2022.
  5. Murray CJL, Lopez AD. Measuring the global burden of disease. N Engl J Med. 2013;369:448–457.
  6. US Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2022. data.census.gov. Accessed 2025.
  7. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. 2020 Primary Care Needs Assessment: Isabella County Profile. Lansing, MI: MDHHS; 2020.