A resolution supporting the designation of the week of May 2, 2021, as "Children's Mental Health Awareness Week" and the day of May 9, 2021, as "Children's Mental Health Awareness Day".

III 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 193 Supporting the designation of the week of May 2, 2021, as ‘‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week’’ and the day of May 9, 2021, as ‘‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 29, 2021 Mr. KING (for himself, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. SMITH, and Ms. HASSAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of the week of May 2, 2021, as ‘‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week’’ and the day of May 9, 2021, as ‘‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day’’. Whereas children in the United States were already experi- encing a public health crisis regarding mental and behav- ioral health before the additional challenges of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic; Whereas a 2013 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that mental disorders affect between 13 and 20 percent of children in a given year and cost approximately $247,000,000,000 annually; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR193.IS SR193 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 193 IS Whereas the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that nearly 1⁄2 of adolescents aged 13 to 18 years old will experience some form of a mental disorder; Whereas, in 2019, over 11 percent of children ages 3 to 17 years old received treatment or counseling from a mental health professional, according to the United States Cen- sus Bureau; Whereas suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth ages 10 to 24 years old, and 90 percent of those individ- uals have an underlying mental illness; Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic, increased isola- tion and collective trauma have led to an increase in de- mand for mental health services for children, with the proportion of mental health-related visits to emergency rooms for children increasing from approximately 24 to 31 percent between 2019 and 2020; Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic has also laid bare the in- equities in our mental health delivery system for all popu- lations, and such inequities have disproportionately im- pacted children and adults who have been exposed to ad- verse childhood experiences prior to and during the pan- demic; and Whereas the stigma of accessing mental and behavioral health services persisted before the COVID–19 pandemic, and acknowledging this public health crisis and creating awareness as early as possible is as important as ever: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) supports the designation of the week of May 2 2, 2021, as ‘‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness 3 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR193.IS SR193 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 193 IS Week’’ and the day of May 9, 2021, as ‘‘Children’s 1 Mental Health Awareness Day’’; 2 (2) recognizes the importance of connecting 3 children with appropriate mental and behavioral 4 health services and supports; 5 (3) seeks to create awareness regarding the ad- 6 ditional challenges children and their families have 7 faced during the COVID–19 pandemic due to isola- 8 tion from family and peers, exposure to traumas, 9 and barriers to mental and behavioral health services 10 and supports; 11 (4) supports programs and services aimed at 12 expanding access to care, building resiliency, and ad- 13 dressing trauma; and 14 (5) appreciates and extends its gratitude to 15 family members, friends, educators, mental and be- 16 havioral health service providers, and others in their 17 support for children’s mental health and well-being. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Apr 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR193.IS SR193 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS