Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3680 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national outreach and education strategy and research to improve the behavioral and men- tal health of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population, while addressing stigma within such population against be- havioral and mental health treatment. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 25, 2023 Ms. CHU (for herself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CASE, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, Mr. LIEU, Ms. MENG, Ms. STRICKLAND, Ms. TOKUDA, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national outreach and education strategy and research to improve the behavioral and mental health of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander popu- lation, while addressing stigma within such population against behavioral and mental health treatment. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Mental Health 4 Stigma in Our Communities Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 3680 IH SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) The term ‘‘AANHPI’’ means Asian Amer- 3 ican, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander. 4 (2) Except as otherwise specified, the term 5 ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of Health and 6 Human Services. 7 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 8 Congress finds the following: 9 (1) The AANHPI community is among the 10 fastest growing population groups in the United 11 States. It is a diverse population representing over 12 30 countries, making up more than 50 distinct eth- 13 nic groups, and speaking more than 100 languages 14 and dialects. 15 (2) There is a growing mental health crisis in 16 the United States, particularly for AANHPI individ- 17 uals. AANHPI individuals with mental health prob- 18 lems have the lowest rates of mental health service 19 utilization compared to other racial or ethnic popu- 20 lations. In 2021, only 25 percent of Asian adults 21 with a mental health problem received treatment in 22 the past year. Although suicide is the tenth leading 23 cause of death, it is the leading cause of death for 24 AANHPI youth. From 2018 to 2020, AANHPI 25 youth between the ages of 10- to 24-years old were 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 3680 IH the only racial or ethnic population in this age cat- 1 egory where suicide was the leading cause of death. 2 (3) Such mental health disparities within the 3 AANHPI community may be attributed to systemic 4 barriers to accessing mental health services, includ- 5 ing stigma attached to mental health, limited avail- 6 ability of and access to culturally and linguistically 7 appropriate services, and insufficient research. 8 (4) Insufficient research on AANHPI commu- 9 nities often leads to an inaccurate representation of 10 their experiences and needs. It is imperative to 11 disaggregate AANHPI population data to better un- 12 derstand the range of mental health issues for each 13 subpopulation so specific culturally and linguistically 14 appropriate solutions can be developed. 15 (5) Critical investments are necessary to reduce 16 stigma and improve mental health within AANHPI 17 communities, including— 18 (A) increasing culturally and linguistically 19 appropriate outreach, education, and mental 20 health services; 21 (B) improving representation of AANHPI 22 individuals among behavioral health providers; 23 and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 3680 IH (C) strengthening data collection in re- 1 search. 2 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, 3 AND PACIFIC ISLANDER BEHAVIORAL AND 4 MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDU- 5 CATION STRATEGY. 6 Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 7 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 8 end the following new section: 9 ‘‘SEC. 553. NATIONAL AANHPI BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL 10 HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION STRAT- 11 EGY. 12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 13 the Assistant Secretary, shall, in coordination with the 14 Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and the 15 Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and 16 Health Disparities and in consultation with advocacy and 17 behavioral and mental health organizations serving popu- 18 lations of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific 19 Islander individuals or communities, develop and imple- 20 ment a national outreach and education strategy to pro- 21 mote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma as- 22 sociated with mental health conditions and substance use 23 disorder within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and 24 Pacific Islander population. Such strategy shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 3680 IH ‘‘(1) be designed to meet the diverse cultural 1 and language needs of the various Asian American, 2 Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander subpopula- 3 tions; 4 ‘‘(2) be developmentally and age-appropriate; 5 ‘‘(3) increase awareness of symptoms of mental 6 illnesses common among such subpopulations, taking 7 into account differences within subgroups such as 8 gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, or 9 ethnicity; 10 ‘‘(4) provide information on evidence-based, cul- 11 turally and linguistically appropriate and adapted 12 interventions and treatments; 13 ‘‘(5) ensure full participation of, and engage, 14 both consumers and community members in the de- 15 velopment and implementation of materials; and 16 ‘‘(6) seek to broaden the perspective among 17 both individuals in Asian American, Native Hawai- 18 ian, and Pacific Islander communities and stake- 19 holders serving such communities to use a com- 20 prehensive public health approach to promoting be- 21 havioral and mental health that addresses a holistic 22 view of health by focusing on the intersection be- 23 tween behavioral and mental health and physical 24 health. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 3680 IH ‘‘(b) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than one year 1 after the date of enactment of the Stop Mental Health 2 Stigma in Our Communities Act, and annually thereafter, 3 the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, 4 shall submit to the Congress, and make publicly available, 5 a report on the extent to which the strategy under sub- 6 section (a) improved behavioral and mental health out- 7 comes associated with mental health conditions and sub- 8 stance use disorders within the Asian American, Native 9 Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. 10 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 11 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 12 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.’’. 13 SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE AANHPI YOUTH MEN- 14 TAL HEALTH CRISIS. 15 (a) STUDY.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 17 through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 18 and Substance Use, in coordination with the Deputy 19 Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and the Di- 20 rector of the National Institute on Minority Health 21 and Health Disparities, shall conduct a study on 22 mental health among AANHPI youth. 23 (2) ELEMENTS.—The study required by para- 24 graph (1) shall include assessment of— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 3680 IH (A) the prevalence of mental health condi- 1 tions and substance use disorders among 2 AANHPI youth; 3 (B) AANHPI youth who attempted suicide 4 or died by suicide or substance use overdose; 5 and 6 (C) AANHPI youth who received treat- 7 ment for a mental health condition or substance 8 use disorder. 9 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 10 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 11 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen- 12 sions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and 13 Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make 14 publicly available, a report on the findings of the study 15 conducted under subsection (a), including— 16 (1) identification of the barriers to behavioral 17 and mental health services that are faced by 18 AANHPI youth; 19 (2) identification of root causes of mental 20 health issues among AANHPI youth; 21 (3) recommendations for actions to be taken by 22 the Secretary to improve mental health among 23 AANHPI youth; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 3680 IH (4) recommendations for legislative or adminis- 1 trative actions to improve mental health among 2 AANHPI youth and reduce the prevalence of 3 AANHPI youth experiencing depression or suicide; 4 and 5 (5) such other recommendations as the Sec- 6 retary determines appropriate. 7 (c) DATA.—Any data included in the study or report 8 under this section shall be disaggregated by race, eth- 9 nicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, geo- 10 graphic region, disability status, and other relevant fac- 11 tors. 12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 13 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 14 $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2024. 15 SEC. 6. STUDY AND REPORT ON STRATEGIES ON THE 16 AANHPI BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH 17 WORKFORCE SHORTAGE. 18 (a) STUDY.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 20 through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 21 and Substance Use, in coordination with the Sec- 22 retary of Labor and the Deputy Assistant Secretary 23 for Minority Health, shall conduct a study on strate- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 3680 IH gies for increasing the behavioral and mental health 1 professional workforce that identify as AANHPI. 2 (2) ELEMENTS.—The study required by para- 3 graph (1) shall include— 4 (A) the total number of licensed behavioral 5 and mental health providers in the United 6 States who identify as AANHPI; 7 (B) information regarding each such pro- 8 vider’s current type of license, geographic area 9 of practice, and type of employer (such as a 10 hospital, a Federally qualified health center, a 11 school, or private practice); and 12 (C) information regarding the cultural and 13 linguistic capabilities of such providers, includ- 14 ing languages spoken proficiently. 15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 16 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 17 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen- 18 sions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and 19 Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make 20 publicly available, a report on the findings of the study 21 under subsection (a), including— 22 (1) identification of AANHPI licensed behav- 23 ioral and mental health care providers’ knowledge 24 and awareness of the barriers to high-quality behav- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 3680 IH ioral and mental health care services faced by 1 AANHPI individuals, including stigma, limited 2 English proficiency, and lack of health insurance 3 coverage; 4 (2) recommendations for actions to be taken by 5 the Secretary to increase the number of AANHPI li- 6 censed behavioral and mental health professionals; 7 (3) recommendations for legislative or adminis- 8 trative action to improve the enrollment of AANHPI 9 individuals in behavioral and mental health profes- 10 sional education programs; and 11 (4) such other recommendations as the Sec- 12 retary determines appropriate. 13 (c) DATA.—Any data included in the study or report 14 under this section shall be disaggregated by race, eth- 15 nicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, geo- 16 graphic region, disability status, and other relevant fac- 17 tors. 18 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘licensed 19 behavioral and mental health provider’’ means any indi- 20 vidual licensed to provide mental health and substance use 21 disorder services, such as in the professions of social work, 22 psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family therapy, men- 23 tal health counseling, and substance use disorder coun- 24 seling. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 3680 IH (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 1 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 2 $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2024. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 Jun 20, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3680.IH H3680 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB