II 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2752 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 12, 2008 Mr. Smith (for himself and Mr. Durbin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To authorize the President to award grants to improve the capacity of nongovernmental organizations and individuals in foreign countries to provide appropriate mental disability and mental trauma care training, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the International Mental Disability and Mental Trauma Care Improvement Act of 2008.

2.

Purpose

The purpose of this Act is to promote the capacity of recipient nongovernmental organizations to provide appropriate mental disability and mental trauma care training for providers on a national, regional, and local level abroad.

3.

Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)The efforts of the United States to promote democracy and human rights abroad must include vigorous efforts to improve treatment of those with mental disabilities and mental trauma. (2)The World Health Report 2001, published by the World Health Organization, reported that approximately 450,000,000 people worldwide experience a mental disorder. (3)War, conflict, and dictatorial regimes around the world have also created tens of thousands of victims of violence, rape, torture, and forced relocation who suffer from mental trauma. (4)Mental disability and mental trauma care resources are sufficiently scarce in developed and developing countries that national care giving practices are often antiquated and underfunded. (5)The World Health Organization reports that— (A)about 50 percent of mental disorders begin before the sufferer reaches 14 years of age; (B)about 20 percent of the children and adolescents of the world are estimated to have a mental disorder; and (C)regions of the world in which a high percentage of the population is under 19 years of age have the lowest amount of mental disability care resources. (6)There is tremendous inequity in the worldwide distribution of skilled human resources for mental disability and mental trauma care. A shortage of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and social workers continues to be a significant barrier to the provision of treatment and care in low- and middle-income countries. (7)In much of the world, there are immense obstacles to full participation in society by people who suffer from a mental disability or have experienced mental trauma. (8)The World Health Organization reports that stigma about mental disorders and discrimination against patients and families can prevent people from seeking care. (9)Social stigma and a lack of resources can often result in the inappropriate institutionalization and effective segregation from society of large numbers of people with mental disabilities or mental trauma, often under appalling conditions. (10)Such inappropriate institutionalization does not represent best-practice mental disability and mental trauma care methods and is often an unacceptable violation of human rights standards.

4.

Mental disability and mental trauma care quality and capacity improvement grants

Chapter 1 of Part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 104C the following:

104D.

Assistance to improve mental disability and mental trauma care

(a)

Grants to nongovernmental organizations and individuals specializing in mental disability and mental trauma treatment, training, policy, and research

(1)

Grants authorized

The President is authorized to award grants to nongovernmental organizations (including faith-based and community-based organizations) and individuals— (A)to provide training, advice, and technical expertise for foreign governments in the adoption of a national mental disability and mental trauma care framework; (B)to initiate system reform and improve treatment options, access to, and quality of mental disability and mental trauma care; (C)to provide training for governmental, nongovernmental, professional, community, peer, and family mental disability and mental trauma care providers; or (D)to provide direct, short-term emergency mental trauma assistance for the victims of humanitarian or political crises. (2)

Eligibility

To the maximum extent practicable, amounts shall be provided to applicants that— (A)have a proven record of providing mental disability and mental trauma technical advice, emergency care, or support, whether directly or through linkages with other programs; and (B)employ recognized and evidence-based best practices for assisting individuals with mental disability conditions. (3)

Application

Each organization desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the President at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information and assurances as the President may require. (b)

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to the President for the purposes of this section, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, not less than $10,000,000 for the fiscal year 2009 and each subsequent fiscal year, to be made available through the Secretary of State, acting through the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.

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5.

Annual report on the condition of mental disability and mental trauma care

Section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b–2(d)) is amended— (1)in paragraph (10), by striking and at the end; (2)in paragraph (11), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and; and (3)by adding at the end the following: (12)wherever applicable, mental disability and mental trauma care practices in countries receiving assistance under section 104D and in all other foreign jurisdictions, including— (A)the extent of contact of mental disability and mental trauma care patients with their home communities; (B)the freedom granted mental disability and mental trauma care patients to socialize with each other and with nonpatients; (C)the national government’s record of forced institutionalization, and the review process for institutionalized mental disability and mental trauma care patients; (D)the average ratio between patients and staff; (E)the employment of evaluation and follow up of treatment efficacy; (F)the national spending on mental disability and mental trauma care; (G)activities implemented or improved that address the provision of services for mental disability and mental trauma conditions; and (H)the inclusion of mental disability and mental trauma care into the public health agenda and national health plans and programs. .