1.This Act may be cited as the
Mental Health on Campus Improvement
Act
.
2.Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)The 2007 National
Survey of Counseling Center Directors found that the average ratio of
counselors to students on campus is nearly 1 to 2,000 and is often far higher
on large campuses. The International Association of Counseling Services
accreditation standards recommend 1 counselor per 1,000 to 1,500
students.
(2)College counselors
report that 8.5 percent of enrolled students sought counseling in the past
year, totaling an estimated 1,600,000 students.
(3)Over 90 percent of
counseling directors believe there is an increase in the number of students
coming to campus with severe psychological problems. The majority of counseling
directors report concerns that the demand for services is growing without an
increase in resources.
(4)A
2008 American College Health Association survey revealed that 43 percent of
students at colleges and universities report having felt so depressed it was
difficult to function, and one out of every 11 students seriously considered
suicide within the past year.
(5)Research conducted
between 1989 and 2002 found that students seen for anxiety disorders doubled,
for depression tripled, and for serious suicidal intention tripled.
(6)Many students who
need help never receive it. Counseling directors report that, of the students
who committed suicide on their campuses, only 22 percent were current or former
counseling center clients. Directors did not know the previous psychiatric
history of 60 percent of those students.
(7)A
survey conducted by the University of Idaho Student Counseling Center in 2000
found that 77 percent of students who responded reported that they were more
likely to stay in school because of counseling and that their school
performance would have declined without counseling.
(8)A
6-year longitudinal study of college students found that personal and emotional
adjustment was an important factor in retention and predicted attrition as well
as, or better than, academic adjustment (Gerdes & Mallinckrodt,
1994).
3.Improving mental
and behavioral health on college campusesTitle V of the Public Health Service Act is
amended by inserting after section 520E–2 (42 U.S.C. 290bb–36b) the
following:
520E–3.Grants to
improve mental and behavioral health on college campuses
(a)It
is the purpose of this section, with respect to college and university
settings, to—
(1)increase access to
mental and behavioral health services;
(2)foster and improve
the prevention of mental and behavioral health disorders, and the promotion of
mental health;
(3)improve the
identification and treatment for students at risk;
(4)improve
collaboration and the development of appropriate levels of mental and
behavioral health care;
(5)reduce the stigma
for students with mental health disorders and enhance their access to mental
health services; and
(6)improve the
efficacy of outreach efforts.
(b)The
Secretary, acting through the Administrator and in consultation with the
Secretary of Education, shall award competitive grants to eligible entities to
improve mental and behavioral health services and outreach on college and
university campuses.
(c)To
be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (b), an entity shall—
(1)be an institution
of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); and
(2)submit to the
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require, including the information required
under subsection (d).
(d)An
application for a grant under this section shall include—
(1)a description of
the population to be targeted by the program carried out under the grant, the
particular mental and behavioral health needs of the students involved, and the
Federal, State, local, private, and institutional resources available for
meeting the needs of such students at the time the application is
submitted;
(2)an outline of the
objectives of the program carried out under the grant;
(3)a description of
activities, services, and training to be provided under the program, including
planned outreach strategies to reach students not currently seeking
services;
(4)a plan to seek
input from community mental health providers, when available, community groups,
and other public and private entities in carrying out the program;
(5)a plan, when
applicable, to meet the specific mental and behavioral health needs of veterans
attending institutions of higher education;
(6)a description of
the methods to be used to evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of the
program; and
(7)an assurance that
grant funds will be used to supplement, and not supplant, any other Federal,
State, or local funds available to carry out activities of the type carried out
under the grant.
(e)In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give special consideration to applications that describe
programs to be carried out under the grant that—
(1)demonstrate the
greatest need for new or additional mental and behavioral health services, in
part by providing information on current ratios of students to mental and
behavioral health professionals;
(2)propose effective
approaches for initiating or expanding campus services and supports using
evidence-based practices;
(3)target
traditionally underserved populations and populations most at risk;
(4)where possible,
demonstrate an awareness of, and a willingness to, coordinate with a community
mental health center or other mental health resource in the community, to
support screening and referral of students requiring intensive services;
(5)identify how the
college or university will address psychiatric emergencies, including how
information will be communicated with families or other appropriate parties;
and
(6)demonstrate the
greatest potential for replication and dissemination.
(f)Amounts received under a grant under this section may be
used to—
(1)provide mental and
behavioral health services to students, including prevention, promotion of
mental health, screening, early intervention, assessment, treatment,
management, and education services relating to the mental and behavioral health
of students;
(2)provide outreach
services to notify students about the existence of mental and behavioral health
services;
(3)educate families,
peers, faculty, staff, and communities to increase awareness of mental health
issues;
(4)support student
groups on campus that engage in activities to educate students, reduce stigma
surrounding mental and behavioral disorders, and promote mental health
wellness;
(5)employ
appropriately trained staff;
(6)expand mental
health training through internship, post-doctorate, and residency
programs;
(7)develop and
support evidence-based and emerging best practices, including a focus on
culturally and linguistically appropriate best practices; and
(8)evaluate and
disseminate best practices to other colleges and universities.
(g)A grant under this section shall be awarded for a period
not to exceed 3 years.
(h)
(1)Not
later than 18 months after the date on which a grant is received under this
section, the eligible entity involved shall submit to the Secretary the results
of an evaluation to be conducted by the entity concerning the effectiveness of
the activities carried out under the grant and plans for the sustainability of
such efforts.
(2)Not
later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report concerning the
results of—
(A)the evaluations
conducted under paragraph (1); and
(B)an evaluation
conducted by the Secretary to analyze the effectiveness and efficacy of the
activities conducted with grants under this section.
(i)The Secretary may provide technical assistance to
grantees in carrying out this section.
(j)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated such sums
as may be necessary to carry out this section.
520E–4.Mental and
behavioral health outreach and education on college campuses
(a)It
is the purpose of this section to increase access to, and reduce the stigma
associated with, mental health services so as to ensure that college students
have the support necessary to successfully complete their studies.
(b)National Public
Education CampaignThe Secretary, acting through the
Administrator and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, shall convene an interagency, public-private sector
working group to plan, establish, and begin coordinating and evaluating a
targeted public education campaign that is designed to focus on mental and
behavioral health on college campuses. Such campaign shall be designed
to—
(1)improve the
general understanding of mental health and mental health disorders;
(2)encourage
help-seeking behaviors relating to the promotion of mental health, prevention
of mental health disorders, and treatment of such disorders;
(3)make the
connection between mental and behavioral health and academic success;
and
(4)assist the general
public in identifying the early warning signs and reducing the stigma of mental
illness.
(c)The
working group under subsection (b) shall include—
(1)mental health
consumers, including students and family members;
(2)representatives of
colleges and universities;
(3)representatives of
national mental and behavioral health and college associations;
(4)representatives of
college health promotion and prevention organizations;
(5)representatives of
mental health providers, including community mental health centers; and
(6)representatives of
private- and public-sector groups with experience in the development of
effective public health education campaigns.
(d)The
working group under subsection (b) shall develop a plan that shall—
(1)target promotional
and educational efforts to the college age population and individuals who are
employed in college and university settings, including the use of
roundtables;
(2)develop and
propose the implementation of research-based public health messages and
activities;
(3)provide support
for local efforts to reduce stigma by using the National Mental Health
Information Center as a primary point of contact for information, publications,
and service program referrals; and
(4)develop and
propose the implementation of a social marketing campaign that is targeted at
the college population and individuals who are employed in college and
university settings.
(e)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated such sums
as may be necessary to carry out this
section.
.
4.Interagency
Working Group on College Mental Health
(a)It
is the purpose of this section, pursuant to Executive Order 13263 (and the
recommendations issued under section 6(b) of such Order), to provide for the
establishment of a College Campus Task Force under the Federal Executive
Steering Committee on Mental Health, to discuss mental and behavioral health
concerns on college and university campuses.
(b)The
Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the
Secretary
) shall establish a College Campus Task Force (referred
to in this section as the Task Force
), under the Federal
Executive Steering Committee on Mental Health, to discuss mental and behavioral
health concerns on college and university campuses.
(c)The
Task Force shall be composed of a representative from each Federal agency (as
appointed by the head of the agency) that has jurisdiction over, or is affected
by, mental health and education policies and projects, including—
(1)the Department of
Education;
(2)the Department of
Health and Human Services;
(3)the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(4)such other Federal
agencies as the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration and the Secretary jointly determine to be appropriate.
(d)The
Task Force shall—
(1)serve as a
centralized mechanism to coordinate a national effort—
(A)to discuss and
evaluate evidence and knowledge on mental and behavioral health services
available to, and the prevalence of mental health illness among, the college
age population of the United States;
(B)to determine the
range of effective, feasible, and comprehensive actions to improve mental and
behavioral health on college and university campuses;
(C)to examine and
better address the needs of the college age population dealing with mental
illness;
(D)to survey Federal
agencies to determine which policies are effective in encouraging, and how best
to facilitate outreach without duplicating, efforts relating to mental and
behavioral health promotion;
(E)to establish
specific goals within and across Federal agencies for mental health promotion,
including determinations of accountability for reaching those goals;
(F)to develop a
strategy for allocating responsibilities and ensuring participation in mental
and behavioral health promotions, particularly in the case of competing agency
priorities;
(G)to coordinate
plans to communicate research results relating to mental and behavioral health
amongst the college age population to enable reporting and outreach activities
to produce more useful and timely information;
(H)to provide a
description of evidence-based best practices, model programs, effective
guidelines, and other strategies for promoting mental and behavioral health on
college and university campuses;
(I)to make
recommendations to improve Federal efforts relating to mental and behavioral
health promotion on college campuses and to ensure Federal efforts are
consistent with available standards and evidence and other programs in
existence as of the date of enactment of this Act; and
(J)to monitor Federal
progress in meeting specific mental and behavioral health promotion goals as
they relate to college and university settings;
(2)consult with
national organizations with expertise in mental and behavioral health,
especially those organizations working with the college age population;
and
(3)consult with and
seek input from mental health professionals working on college and university
campuses as appropriate.
(e)
(1)The Task Force shall meet at least 3 times each
year.
(2)The Secretary shall sponsor an annual conference on
mental and behavioral health in college and university settings to enhance
coordination, build partnerships, and share best practices in mental and
behavioral health promotion, data collection, analysis, and services.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated such sums
as may be necessary to carry out this section.