» Michigan Opioid Crisis

In 2020, according to the CDC, Michigan tied for 11th in nation for opioid dispensing rate per 100 persons (54.4).

The landscape map and white paper linked below are a product of a partnership between the Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN) and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. Using publicly available data from disparate sources (see the data link below for more details), the map considers indicators of mental and physical health, poverty, and opioid use throughout the state of Michigan in 2019. The white paper synthesizes the information in the map and highlights three clusters of counties experiencing particularly adverse effects from the crisis. For each cluster, considerations for mitigation or harm reduction efforts are provided.

Cite this work: OPEN: Overdose Prevention Engagement Network & University of Michigan Poverty Solutions (2023). Opioid Use in Michigan (2019): A Review of County-Level Opioid and Poverty-Related Data. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.56137/OPEN.000110

Data links

Using publicly available data, this map presents demographic, social, and healthcare-related variables with potential (or actual) connection to opioid usage in Michigan in 2019. Some variables, such as the list of healthcare services, use more current data, and this information is noted below. The data for each variable were pulled from the following sources (all links current as of 3/10/23):

The Narcan Vending Machine and Syringe Service Program Directory layers are taken from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ (MDHHS) website. Data is current as of February 2023.
The Michigan MAT facilities data was taken from the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) Substance Use Disorder Care dataset. Data is current as of July 2022.
The Hospitals, Hospice Agencies and Residences, Nursing Homes, Homes for the Aged, Psychiatric Hospitals/Units, and Freestanding Surgical Outpatient Facilities data were taken from the LARA Health Care dataset. Data is current as of July 2022.
All Household Drug Take Back Location data is from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) website. Data is current as of January 2023.
The Population, Health Insurance Coverage, Checkup, Poor Mental Health, and Poor Physical Health data were all taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) PLACES dataset. Data updated October 2022.
Unemployment, Median Household Income, and Poverty measure variables were taken or constructed from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2019 5-Year Estimates (via Social Explorer).
The Number of Opiate Prescriptions Per Person variable was constructed using data from the 2019 LARA Annual Drug Utilization Report and the population figures from the CDC PLACES data mentioned above.
The Opioid and Heroin Treatment Rate variable was constructed using data from MDHHS’s Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) and the population figures from the CDC PLACES data mentioned above.
The Age-Adjusted Rates for Opioid-Related Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths were taken from the MDHHS’s Michigan Environmental Public Health Tracking (MiTracking) dataset.

Please note, in the MiTracking dataset (Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths), some data values were suppressed. For mapping purposes, the following values were assigned for these suppressed categories:

Value of 1 = “Suppressed: Case count is between 1 and 5”
Value of 998 = “Suppressed: Less than 80% of hospital beds are represented”
Value of 999 = “Suppressed: Unspecified drugs for more than 20% of deaths”

These values do not represent the actual rate or numbers of cases and should not be considered as such