Berrien County, Michigan is located in the southwestern corner of the state along Lake Michigan. It has a population of around 156,000 people and serves as an important agricultural and industrial center in the region. When it comes to healthcare, Berrien County is well-served by a number of local hospitals and medical facilities. The most prominent are Lakeland HealthCare, an integrated system with two acute care hospitals in St. Joseph and Niles, as well as several outpatient centers throughout the county. There are also several other medical facilities in the area that specialize in specific services such as cancer care, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and mental health counseling. In addition to these services, there are several rural clinics throughout Berrien County that provide basic health and preventive care to local residents at reduced cost or even free of charge. All in all, Berrien County has an excellent selection of health care options for its residents.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are Unlock physicians per 100,000 population in Berrien County. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Berrien County area is Unlock. The US average is 100.
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Berrien County area is Unlock. The US average is 55.
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Berrien County area is Unlock. The US average is 87.
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Berrien County commutes Unlock minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Berrien County area is Unlock. The US average is 58.
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.