[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8376 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8376

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national 
  awareness and outreach campaign to improve mental health among the 
                 Hispanic and Latino youth population.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2024

 Ms. Caraveo (for herself, Mr. Cardenas, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Salinas, 
  Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Watson 
  Coleman, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. 
   Vargas, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Tlaib, and Ms. 
  Stansbury) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national 
  awareness and outreach campaign to improve mental health among the 
                 Hispanic and Latino youth population.

    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 ``Latino Youth Mental Health 
Empowerment Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Hispanic and Latino youth often experience and suffer 
        from toxic stress, which stems from prolonged stress, trauma, 
        or adverse childhood experiences.
            (2) At least 78 percent of Hispanic and Latino youth suffer 
        from at least one adverse childhood experience, which can harm 
        a child's physical and mental health.
            (3) Among Hispanic and Latino youth, approximately 60 
        percent were more likely to report poor mental health compared 
        to their counterparts.
            (4) About 37 percent of Hispanic and Latino youth have 
        reported symptoms of moderate to severe depression.
            (5) Approximately 22 percent of Hispanic and Latino high 
        school students have seriously contemplated suicide.
            (6) Hispanic and Latinos are less likely than any other 
        ethnic groups to receive clinical or school-based mental 
        illness treatment and medication.
            (7) Hispanic and Latino youth are less likely to use mental 
        health care services compared to children of other ethnic 
        groups.
            (8) There are numerous factors that impact accessibility to 
        mental health services and mental health outcomes. For 
        instance, lower rates of health insurance, language and 
        cultural barriers, and lack of parental education on mental 
        health all contribute to adverse mental health outcomes for 
        Hispanic and Latino youth.
            (9) Increased awareness and outreach about mental health to 
        Hispanic and Latino parents, caregivers, and youth are vital to 
        ensure that Hispanic and Latino youth can experience positive 
        mental health outcomes and reduced mental illness.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL HISPANIC AND LATINO MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND 
              OUTREACH CAMPAIGN.

    Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 553. NATIONAL HISPANIC AND LATINO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS 
              AND OUTREACH CAMPAIGN.

    ``(a) Study on Prior Campaigns.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall conduct a 
study on--
            ``(1) any education and outreach campaigns to promote 
        mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health 
        that were carried out by the Secretary on or before the date of 
        the enactment of the Latino Youth Mental Health Empowerment 
        Act; and
            ``(2) which messaging delivered through such campaigns was 
        most effective within the Latino community.
    ``(b) Establishment of Campaign.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary, shall develop and implement a national 
        awareness and outreach campaign to promote mental health and 
        reduce stigma associated with mental health within the Hispanic 
        and Latino youth population. Such campaign shall be developed--
                    ``(A) taking into account the results of the study 
                conducted under subsection (a);
                    ``(B) in coordination with the Director of the 
                Office of Minority Health, the Director of the National 
                Institutes of Health, the Director of the Centers for 
                Disease Control and Prevention, and Assistant Secretary 
                for Mental Health and Substance Use, and the Secretary 
                of Education; and
                    ``(C) in consultation with relevant advocacy and 
                mental health organizations serving populations of 
                Hispanic and Latino individuals or communities.
            ``(2) Elements of campaign.--The campaign under paragraph 
        (1) shall--
                    ``(A) develop a culturally- and linguistically-
                competent awareness campaign, targeted at Hispanic and 
                Latino parents, caregivers, youth, teachers, school 
                personnel, and school clinic staff to meet the diverse 
                needs of Hispanic and Latino youth, including--
                            ``(i) increasing awareness of symptoms 
                        associated with mental illnesses, including 
                        their prevalence and misconceptions among 
                        youth;
                            ``(ii) increasing awareness of factors 
                        driving mental illness among Hispanic and 
                        Latino youth, including factors that are social 
                        determinants of health, taking into account 
                        differences within population subgroups, such 
                        as gender, gender identity, age, sexual 
                        orientation, ethnicity, geographic region or 
                        location, immigration status, and history of 
                        adverse childhood experiences;
                            ``(iii) combatting the stigma of mental 
                        illnesses that are common in the Hispanic and 
                        Latino community, taking into account 
                        differences within such population subgroups; 
                        and
                            ``(iv) increasing awareness of evidence-
                        based, culturally-tailored, and trauma-informed 
                        mental illness screening, intervention, and 
                        treatment options, taking into account 
                        differences within such population subgroups; 
                        and
                    ``(B) develop a culturally and linguistically 
                competent outreach campaign, targeted at Hispanic and 
                Latino parents, caregivers, youth, teachers, school 
                personnel, and school clinic staff to meet the diverse 
                needs of Hispanic and Latino youth, including--
                            ``(i) creating and distributing mental 
                        health materials and resources (including 
                        materials relating to the National Suicide 
                        Prevention and Mental Health Hotline under 
                        section 520E-3) in collaboration with local, 
                        State, and national community advocates and 
                        stakeholders, taking into account differences 
                        within population subgroups, such as gender, 
                        gender identity, age, sexual orientation, 
                        ethnicity, and geographic region or location;
                            ``(ii) hosting in-person and virtual mental 
                        health workshops at relevant locations, 
                        including elementary schools and secondary 
                        schools (as defined in section 8101 of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, 
                        community centers, and other appropriate sites;
                            ``(iii) providing youth mental health first 
                        aid training to parents, caregivers, teachers, 
                        school personnel, and school clinic staff, and 
                        other personnel that consistently interact or 
                        work with the target population;
                            ``(iv) establishing partnerships between 
                        local, State, and national mental health 
                        agencies and elementary schools and secondary 
                        schools (as defined in section 8101 of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
                        1965), after-school programs, and other 
                        appropriate sites that serve Hispanic and 
                        Latino youth; and
                            ``(v) providing mental health screenings 
                        and on-site consultations at elementary schools 
                        and secondary schools (as defined in section 
                        8101 of the of the Elementary and Secondary 
                        Education Act of 1965), community centers, and 
                        other appropriates sites.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.''.

SEC. 4. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE HISPANIC AND LATINO YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH 
              CRISIS.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in 
        coordination with the Director of the National Institutes of 
        Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, the Director of the Office of Minority Health, and 
        the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, shall conduct 
        a study on mental health among Hispanic and Latino youth.
            (2) Elements.--Such study required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include an assessment of--
                    (A) the prevalence and risk factors of mental 
                health and substance use disorders among Hispanic and 
                Latino youth;
                    (B) the prevalence of attempted suicide and death 
                by suicide among Hispanic and Latino youth;
                    (C) the prevalence of treatment for mental health 
                and substance use disorders among Hispanic and Latino 
                youth;
                    (D) the awareness and utilization of the 9-8-8 
                National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Hotline 
                under section 520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act 
                (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c) and other mental health and 
                suicide prevention hotlines among Hispanic and Latino 
                youth;
                    (E) the awareness, utilization, and availability of 
                mobile crisis care teams, dispatched through the 9-8-8 
                National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Hotline 
                or other mental health and suicide prevent hotlines, 
                among Hispanic and Latino youth; and
                    (F) the awareness, utilization, and availability of 
                crisis centers for Hispanic and Latino youth in acute 
                mental health or substance use crisis.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of the Latino Youth Mental Health Empowerment Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives, and make publicly available, a report on the findings 
of the study conducted under subsection (a), including--
            (1) identification of the barriers to accessing mental 
        health services and treatment for Hispanic and Latino youth;
            (2) recommendations to improve mental health services, 
        outreach, and treatment among Hispanic and Latino youth;
            (3) recommendations to reduce rates of mental health and 
        substance use disorders and suicide among Hispanic and Latino 
        youth;
            (4) recommendations to improve awareness and utilization of 
        the 9-8-8 National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Hotline 
        and other mental health and suicide prevention hotlines among 
        Hispanic and Latino youth;
            (5) recommendations to improve access to, and utilization 
        of, mobile crisis care teams among Hispanic and Latino youth, 
        when clinically appropriate;
            (6) recommendation to improve access to, and utilization 
        of, crisis centers for Hispanic and Latino youth in acute 
        mental health or substance use crisis, when clinically 
        appropriate; and
            (7) such other recommendations as the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.
    (c) Data.--Any data included in the study or report under this 
section shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender 
identity, sexual orientation, geographic region, disability status, and 
other relevant factors, in a manner that, as appropriate and feasible, 
protects personal privacy and that is consistent with applicable 
Federal and State privacy law.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out 
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2025.

SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE HISPANIC AND LATINO MENTAL HEALTH 
              WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in 
        coordination with the Administrator of the Health Resources and 
        Services Administration, the Director of the Office of Minority 
        Health, the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, and 
        the Secretary of Labor, and shall conduct a study on strategies 
        for increasing the mental health professional workforce that 
        identify as Hispanic or Latino.
            (2) Elements.--Such study required under paragraph (1) 
        shall address--
                    (A) the total number of licensed clinical and non-
                clinical mental health providers who identify as 
                Hispanic or Latino;
                    (B) with respect to each such provider, information 
                regarding the current license type, geographic location 
                of practice, and type of employer (such as a hospital, 
                Federally-qualified health center (as defined in 
                section 1861(aa)(4) of the Social Security Act (42 
                U.S.C. 1395x(aa)(4))), elementary school or secondary 
                school (as such terms are defined in section 8101 of 
                the of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
                1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801), or private practice);
                    (C) information regarding the languages spoken 
                among providers, including the level of proficiency in 
                speaking, reading, and writing such languages; and
                    (D) the current enrollment of Hispanic and Latino 
                individuals in mental health professional education 
                programs.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make publicly 
available, a report on the findings of the study conducted under 
subsection (a). Such report shall--
            (1) assess Hispanic and Latino clinical and non-clinical 
        mental health providers' knowledge and awareness of the 
        barriers to quality mental health care services faced by 
        Hispanic and Latino individuals;
            (2) include recommendations for actions to be taken by the 
        Secretary to increase the number of Hispanic and Latino 
        clinical and non-clinical mental health professionals;
            (3) include recommendations to improve enrollment in mental 
        health professional education programs among Hispanic and 
        Latino individuals; and
            (4) include such other recommendations as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
    (c) Data.--Any data included in the study or report under this 
section shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender 
identity, sexual orientation, geographic region, disability status, and 
other relevant factors, in a manner that protects personal privacy and 
that is consistent with applicable Federal and State privacy law.
    (d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``clinical and non-
clinical mental health provider'' means any individual licensed to 
provide mental health or substance use disorder services, including in 
the professions of social work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and 
family therapy, mental health counseling, substance use disorder 
counseling, peer support, primary care, pediatrics, nursing, and other 
fields as determined by the Secretary.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out 
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2025.
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