[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3537 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3537

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a national center 
    for public mental health emergency preparedness, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 20, 2006

 Mrs. Clinton introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a national center 
    for public mental health emergency preparedness, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Public Mental Health Emergency 
Preparedness Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CENTER FOR PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY 
              PREPAREDNESS.

    Title XXVIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300hh-11 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

   ``Subtitle C--National Center for Public Mental Health Emergency 
                              Preparedness

``SEC. 2821. NATIONAL CENTER FOR PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY 
              PREPAREDNESS.

    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Definition.--For purposes of this subtitle, the term 
        `emergency health professionals' means--
                    ``(A) mental health professionals, including 
                psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, 
                counselors, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric aides and 
                case managers, and group home staff;
                    ``(B) public health and healthcare professionals, 
                including skilled nursing and assisted living 
                professionals;
                    ``(C) emergency services personnel such as police, 
                fire, and emergency medical services personnel;
                    ``(D) county emergency managers;
                    ``(E) school personnel such as teachers, 
                counselors, and other personnel;
                    ``(F) spiritual care professionals;
                    ``(G) other disaster relief personnel; and
                    ``(H) State and local government officials that are 
                responsible for emergency preparedness.
            ``(2) Establishment.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
        the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall establish the National Center for Public Mental Health 
        Emergency Preparedness (referred to in this subtitle as the 
        `NCPMHEP') to address mental health concerns and coordinate and 
        implement the development and delivery of mental health 
        services in conjunction with the entities described in 
        subsection (b)(2), in the event of bioterrorism or other public 
        health emergency.
            ``(3) Location; director.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall offer to 
                enter into a contract with an eligible institution to 
                provide the location of the NCPMHEP.
                    ``(B) Eligible institution.--To be an eligible 
                institution under subparagraph (A), an institution 
                shall--
                            ``(i) be an academic medical center or 
                        similar institution that has prior experience 
                        conducting statewide trainings, and has a 
                        demonstrated record of leadership in national 
                        and international forums, in public mental 
                        health emergency preparedness, which may 
                        include disaster mental health preparedness; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) submit to the Secretary an 
                        application at such time, in such manner, and 
                        containing such information as the Secretary 
                        may require.
                    ``(C) Director.--The NCPMHEP shall be headed by a 
                Director, who shall be appointed by the Secretary 
                (referred to in this subtitle as the `Director') from 
                the eligible institution with which the Secretary 
                contracts under subparagraph (A).
    ``(b) Duties.--The NCPMHEP shall--
            ``(1) prepare the Nation's emergency health professionals 
        to provide mental health services in the aftermath of 
        catastrophic events, such as bioterrorism or other public 
        health emergencies, that present psychological consequences for 
        communities and individuals, particularly vulnerable 
        populations such as older Americans, children, and persons with 
        disabilities; and
            ``(2) coordinate with existing mental health preparedness 
        and service delivery efforts of--
                    ``(A) Federal agencies (such as the National 
                Disaster Medical System, the Medical Reserve Corps, the 
                Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                Administration, the Department of Defense, the 
                Department of Veterans Affairs, and tribal nations);
                    ``(B) State agencies (such as the State mental 
                health authority, office of substance abuse services, 
                public health authority, department of aging, and the 
                office of mental retardation and developmental 
                disabilities);
                    ``(C) local agencies (such as county offices of 
                mental health and substance abuse services, public 
                health, child and family services, law enforcement, 
                fire, emergency medical services, school districts, and 
                county emergency management); and
                    ``(D) other governmental and nongovernmental 
                disaster relief organizations.
    ``(c) Panel of Experts.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director, in consultation with State 
        and local mental health and public health authorities, shall 
        develop a mechanism to appoint a panel of experts for the 
        NCPMHEP.
            ``(2) Membership.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The panel of experts appointed 
                under paragraph (1) shall be--
                            ``(i) composed of individuals who are 
                        experts in their respective fields with 
                        extensive experience in public mental health 
                        emergency preparedness or service delivery, 
                        such as mental health professionals, 
                        researchers, spiritual care professionals, 
                        school counselors, and educators; and
                            ``(ii) recommended by their respective 
                        national professional organizational or 
                        university to such a position.
                    ``(B) Terms.--The members of the panel of experts 
                appointed under paragraph (1)--
                            ``(i) shall be appointed for a term of 3 
                        years; and
                            ``(ii) may be reappointed for an unlimited 
                        number of terms.
                    ``(C) Balance of composition.--The Director shall 
                ensure that the membership composition of the panel of 
                experts fairly represents a balance of the type and 
                number of experts described under subparagraph (A).
                    ``(D) Vacancies.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A vacancy on the panel 
                        of experts shall be filled in the manner in 
                        which the original appointment was made and 
                        shall be subject to conditions which applied 
                        with respect to the original appointment.
                            ``(ii) Filling unexpired term.--An 
                        individual chosen to fill a vacancy shall be 
                        appointed for the unexpired term of the member 
                        replaced.
                            ``(iii) Expiration of terms.--The term of 
                        any member shall not expire before the date on 
                        which the member's successor takes office.

``SEC. 2822. TRAINING CURRICULA FOR EMERGENCY HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall convene a Training Curricula 
Working Group from the panel of experts described in section 2821(c) 
to--
            ``(1) identify and review existing training curricula for 
        emergency health professionals;
            ``(2) approve any such training curricula that satisfy 
        practice and service delivery standards determined by the 
        Training Curricula Working Group and that are evidence-based; 
        and
            ``(3) make recommendations for, and participate in, the 
        development of any additional training curricula, as determined 
        necessary by the Training Curricula Working Group.
    ``(b) Purpose of Training Curricula.--The Training Curricula 
Working Group shall ensure that the training curricula approved by the 
NCPMHEP--
            ``(1) provide the knowledge and skills necessary to respond 
        effectively to the psychological needs of affected individuals, 
        relief personnel, and communities in the event of bioterrorism 
        or other public health emergency; and
            ``(2) is used to build a trained network of emergency 
        health professionals at the State and local levels.
    ``(c) Content of Training Curricula.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Training Curricula Working Group 
        shall ensure that the training curricula approved by the 
        NCPMHEP--
                    ``(A) prepare emergency health professionals, in 
                the event of bioterrorism or other public health 
                emergency, for identifying symptoms of mental health 
                distress, supplying immediate relief to keep affected 
                persons safe, recognizing when to refer affected 
                persons for further mental healthcare, understanding 
                how and where to refer for such care, and other 
                components as determined by the Director in 
                consultation with the Training Curricula Working Group;
                    ``(B) include training or informational material 
                designed to educate and prepare State and local 
                government officials, in the event of bioterrorism or 
                other public health emergency, in coordinating and 
                deploying mental health resources and services and in 
                addressing other mental health needs, as determined by 
                the Director in consultation with the Training 
                Curricula Working Group; and
                    ``(C) meet the diverse training needs of the range 
                of emergency health professionals.
            ``(2) Review of curricula.--The Training Curricula Working 
        Group shall routinely review existing training curricula and 
        participate in the revision of the training curricula described 
        under this section as necessary, taking into consideration 
        recommendations made by the participants of the annual national 
        forum under section 2825 and the Assessment Working Group 
        described under section 2826.
    ``(d) Training Individuals.--
            ``(1) Field trainers.--The Director, in consultation with 
        the Training Curricula Working Group, shall develop a mechanism 
        through which qualified individuals trained through the 
        curricula approved by the NCPMHEP return to their communities 
        to recruit and train others in their respective fields to serve 
        on local emergency response teams.
            ``(2) Field leaders.--The Director, in consultation with 
        the Training Curricula Working Group, shall develop a mechanism 
        through which qualified individuals trained in curricula 
        approved by the NCPMHEP return to their communities to provide 
        expertise to State and local government agencies to mobilize 
        the mental health infrastructure of such State or local 
        agencies, including ensuring that mental health is a component 
        of emergency preparedness and service delivery of such 
        agencies.
            ``(3) Qualifications.--The individuals selected under 
        paragraph (1) or (2) shall--
                    ``(A) pass a designated evaluation, as developed by 
                the Director in consultation with the Training 
                Curricula Working Group; and
                    ``(B) meet other qualifications as determined by 
                the Director in consultation with the Training 
                Curricula Working Group.

``SEC. 2823. USE OF REGISTRIES TO TRACK TRAINED EMERGENCY HEALTH 
              PROFESSIONALS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director, in consultation with the mental 
and public health authorities of each State, shall coordinate the use 
of existing emergency registries established to track medical and 
mental health volunteers across all fields and specifically to track 
the individuals in the State who have been trained using the curricula 
approved by the NCPMHEP under section 2822. The Director shall ensure 
that the data available through such registries and used to track such 
trained individuals will be recoverable and available in the event that 
such registries become inoperable.
    ``(b) Use of Registry.--The tracking procedure under subsection (a) 
shall be used by the Secretary, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and 
the Governor of each State, for the recruitment and deployment of 
trained emergency health professionals in the event of bioterrorism or 
other public health emergency.

``SEC. 2824. CLEARINGHOUSE FOR PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY 
              PREPAREDNESS AND SERVICE DELIVERY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall establish and maintain a 
central clearinghouse of educational materials, guidelines, 
information, strategies, resources, and research on public mental 
health emergency preparedness and service delivery.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Director shall ensure that the clearinghouse--
            ``(1) enables emergency health professionals and other 
        members of the public to increase their awareness and knowledge 
        of public mental health emergency preparedness and service 
        delivery; and
            ``(2) provides such users with access to a range of public 
        mental health emergency resources and strategies to address 
        their community's unique circumstances and to improve their 
        skills and capacities for addressing mental health problems in 
        the event of bioterrorism or other public health emergency.
    ``(c) Availability.--The Director shall ensure that the 
clearinghouse--
            ``(1) is available on the Internet;
            ``(2) includes an interactive forum through which users' 
        questions are addressed;
            ``(3) provides links to additional Government-sponsored or 
        other relevant websites that supply information on public 
        mental health emergency preparedness and service delivery; and
            ``(4) includes the training curricula approved by the 
        NCPMHEP under section 2822.
    ``(d) Clearinghouse Working Group.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall convene a 
        Clearinghouse Working Group from the panel of experts described 
        under section 2821(c) to--
                    ``(A) evaluate the educational materials, 
                guidelines, information, strategies, resources and 
                research maintained in the clearinghouse to ensure 
                empirical validity; and
                    ``(B) offer technical assistance to users of the 
                clearinghouse with respect to finding and selecting the 
                information and resources available through the 
                clearinghouse that would most effectively serve their 
                community's needs in preparing for, and delivering 
                mental health services during, bioterrorism or other 
                public health emergencies.
            ``(2) Technical assistance.--The technical assistance 
        described under paragraph (1) shall include the use of 
        information from the clearinghouse to provide consultation, 
        direction, and guidance to State and local governments and 
        public and private agencies on the development of public mental 
        health emergency plans for activities involving preparedness, 
        mitigation, response, recovery, and evaluation.

``SEC. 2825. ANNUAL NATIONAL FORUM FOR PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH EMERGENCY 
              PREPAREDNESS AND SERVICE DELIVERY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall organize an annual national 
forum to address public mental health emergency preparedness and 
service delivery for emergency health professionals, researchers, 
scientists, and experts in public mental health emergency preparedness 
and service delivery, as well as personnel from relevant Federal, 
State, and local agencies and other governmental and nongovernmental 
organizations.
    ``(b) Purpose of Forum.--The national forum shall provide the 
framework for bringing such individuals together to, based on evidence-
based research and practice, identify and address gaps in science, 
practice, policy, and education, make recommendations for the revision 
of training curricula and for the enhancement of mental health 
interventions, as appropriate, and make other recommendations as 
necessary.

``SEC. 2826. EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH 
              EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND SERVICE DELIVERY EFFORTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall convene an Assessment Working 
Group from the panel of experts described in section 2821(c) to 
evaluate the effectiveness of the NCPMHEP's efforts and those across 
the Federal Government in building the Nation's public mental health 
emergency preparedness and service delivery capacity.
    ``(b) Duties of the Assessment Working Group.--The Assessment 
Working Group shall--
            ``(1) evaluate--
                    ``(A) the effectiveness of each component of the 
                NCPMHEP, including the identification and development 
                of training curricula, the clearinghouse, and the 
                annual national forum;
                    ``(B) the effects of the training curricula on the 
                skills, knowledge, and attitudes of emergency health 
                professionals and on their delivery of mental health 
                services in the event of bioterrorism or other public 
                health emergency;
                    ``(C) the effects of the NCPMHEP on the capacities 
                of State and local government agencies to coordinate, 
                mobilize, and deploy resources and to deliver mental 
                health services in the event of bioterrorism or other 
                public health emergency; and
                    ``(D) other issues as determined by the Secretary, 
                in consultation with the Assessment Working Group; and
            ``(2) submit the annual report required under subsection 
        (c).
    ``(c) Annual Report.--On an annual basis, the Assessment Working 
Group shall--
            ``(1) report to the Secretary and appropriate committees of 
        Congress the results of the evaluation by the Assessment 
        Working Group under this section; and
            ``(2) publish and disseminate the results of such 
        evaluation on as wide a basis as is practicable, including 
        through the NCPMHEP clearinghouse website under section 2824.
    ``(d) Recommendations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Based on the annual report, the 
        Director, in consultation with the Assessment Working Group, 
        shall make recommendations to the Secretary--
                    ``(A) for improving--
                            ``(i) the training curricula identified and 
                        approved by the NCPMHEP;
                            ``(ii) the NCPMHEP clearinghouse; and
                            ``(iii) the annual forum of the NCPMHEP; 
                        and
                    ``(B) regarding any other matter related to 
                improving mental health preparedness and service 
                delivery in the event of bioterrorism or other public 
                health emergency in the United States through the 
                NCPMHEP.
            ``(2) Action by secretary.--Based on the recommendations 
        provided under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit 
        recommendations to Congress for any legislative changes 
        necessary to implement such recommendations.

``SEC. 2827. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
subtitle--
            ``(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
            ``(2) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2008 
        through 2011.''.
                                 <all>