Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Indian Youth Telemental Health Demonstration Project Act of 2007

Findings and purpose

(a)

Findings

Congress finds that— (1)suicide for Indians and Alaska Natives is 21/2 times higher than the national average and the highest for all ethnic groups in the United States, at a rate of more than 16 per 100,000 males of all age groups, and 27.9 per 100,000 for males aged 15 through 24, according to data for 2002; (2)according to national data for 2004, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for Indians and Alaska Natives of both sexes aged 10 through 34; (3)the suicide rates of Indian and Alaska Native males aged 15 through 24 are nearly 4 times greater than suicide rates of Indian and Alaska Native females of that age group; (4)(A)90 percent of all teens who die by suicide suffer from a diagnosable mental illness at the time of death; and (B)more than 1/2 of the people who commit suicide in Indian Country have never been seen by a mental health provider; (5)death rates for Indians and Alaska Natives are statistically underestimated; (6)suicide clustering in Indian Country affects entire tribal communities; and (7)since 2003, the Indian Health Service has carried out a National Suicide Prevention Initiative to work with Service, tribal, and urban Indian health programs. (b)

Purpose

The purpose of this Act is to authorize the Secretary to carry out a demonstration project to test the use of telemental health services in suicide prevention, intervention, and treatment of Indian youth, including through— (1)the use of psychotherapy, psychiatric assessments, diagnostic interviews, therapies for mental health conditions predisposing to suicide, and alcohol and substance abuse treatment; (2)the provision of clinical expertise to, consultation services with, and medical advice and training for frontline health care providers working with Indian youth; (3)training and related support for community leaders, family members and health and education workers who work with Indian youth; (4)the development of culturally-relevant educational materials on suicide; and (5)data collection and reporting.

Definitions

In this Act: (1)

Demonstration project

The term demonstration project means the Indian youth telemental health demonstration project authorized under section 4(a). (2)

Department

The term Department means the Department of Health and Human Services. (3)

Indian

The term Indian means any individual who is a member of an Indian tribe or is eligible for health services under the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). (4)

Indian tribe

The term Indian tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). (5)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (6)

Service

The term Service means the Indian Health Service. (7)

Telemental health

The term telemental health means the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long distance mental health care, patient and professional-related education, public health, and health administration. (8)

Tribal organization

The term tribal organization has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).

Indian youth telemental health demonstration project

(a)

Authorization

(1)

In general

The Secretary is authorized to carry out a demonstration project to award grants for the provision of telemental health services to Indian youth who— (A)have expressed suicidal ideas; (B)have attempted suicide; or (C)have mental health conditions that increase or could increase the risk of suicide. (2)

Eligibility for grants

Grants described in paragraph (1) shall be awarded to Indian tribes and tribal organizations that operate 1 or more facilities— (A)located in Alaska and part of the Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network; (B)reporting active clinical telehealth capabilities; or (C)offering school-based telemental health services relating to psychiatry to Indian youth. (3)

Grant period

The Secretary shall award grants under this section for a period of up to 4 years. (4)

Maximum number of grants

Not more than 5 grants shall be provided under paragraph (1), with priority consideration given to Indian tribes and tribal organizations that— (A)serve a particular community or geographic area in which there is a demonstrated need to address Indian youth suicide; (B)enter into collaborative partnerships with Service or other tribal health programs or facilities to provide services under this demonstration project; (C)serve an isolated community or geographic area which has limited or no access to behavioral health services; or (D)operate a detention facility at which Indian youth are detained. (b)

Use of Funds

(1)

In general

An Indian tribe or tribal organization shall use a grant received under subsection (a) for the following purposes: (A)To provide telemental health services to Indian youth, including the provision of— (i)psychotherapy; (ii)psychiatric assessments and diagnostic interviews, therapies for mental health conditions predisposing to suicide, and treatment; and (iii)alcohol and substance abuse treatment. (B)To provide clinician-interactive medical advice, guidance and training, assistance in diagnosis and interpretation, crisis counseling and intervention, and related assistance to Service or tribal clinicians and health services providers working with youth being served under the demonstration project. (C)To assist, educate, and train community leaders, health education professionals and paraprofessionals, tribal outreach workers, and family members who work with the youth receiving telemental health services under the demonstration project, including with identification of suicidal tendencies, crisis intervention and suicide prevention, emergency skill development, and building and expanding networks among those individuals and with State and local health services providers. (D)To develop and distribute culturally-appropriate community educational materials on— (i)suicide prevention; (ii)suicide education; (iii)suicide screening; (iv)suicide intervention; and (v)ways to mobilize communities with respect to the identification of risk factors for suicide. (E)To conduct data collection and reporting relating to Indian youth suicide prevention efforts. (2)

Traditional health care practices

In carrying out the purposes described in paragraph (1), an Indian tribe or tribal organization may use and promote the traditional health care practices of the Indian tribes of the youth to be served. (c)

Applications

To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), an Indian tribe or tribal organization shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— (1)a description of the project that the Indian tribe or tribal organization will carry out using the funds provided under the grant; (2)a description of the manner in which the project funded under the grant would— (A)meet the telemental health care needs of the Indian youth population to be served by the project; or (B)improve the access of the Indian youth population to be served to suicide prevention and treatment services; (3)evidence of support for the project from the local community to be served by the project; (4)a description of how the families and leadership of the communities or populations to be served by the project would be involved in the development and ongoing operations of the project; (5)a plan to involve the tribal community of the youth who are provided services by the project in planning and evaluating the mental health care and suicide prevention efforts provided, in order to ensure the integration of community, clinical, environmental, and cultural components of the treatment; and (6)a plan for sustaining the project after Federal assistance for the demonstration project has terminated. (d)

Collaboration

The Secretary, acting through the Service, shall encourage Indian tribes and tribal organizations receiving grants under this section to collaborate to enable comparisons about best practices across projects. (e)

Annual Report

Each grant recipient shall submit to the Secretary an annual report that— (1)describes the number of telemental health services provided; and (2)includes any other information that the Secretary may require. (f)

Report to Congress

Not later than 270 days after the date of termination of the demonstration project, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a final report that— (1)describes the results of the projects funded by grants awarded under this section, including any data available that indicate the number of attempted suicides; (2)evaluates the impact of the telemental health services funded by the grants in reducing the number of completed suicides among Indian youth; (3)evaluates whether the demonstration project should be— (A)expanded to provide more than 5 grants; and (B)designated a permanent program; and (4)evaluates the benefits of expanding the demonstration project to include urban Indian organizations. (g)

Authorization of Appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011.