[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1773 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1773
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national
outreach and education strategy and research to improve behavioral
health among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
population, while addressing stigma against behavioral health treatment
among such population.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 31 (legislative day, May 30), 2023
Ms. Hirono (for herself, Ms. Cortez Masto, and Mr. Booker) 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 provide for a national
outreach and education strategy and research to improve behavioral
health among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
population, while addressing stigma against behavioral health treatment
among such 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 ``Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our
Communities Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) AANHPI.--The term ``AANHPI'' means Asian American,
Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander.
(2) Secretary.--Except as otherwise specified, the term
``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The AANHPI community is among the fastest growing
population groups in the United States. It is a diverse
population representing over 30 countries, making up more than
50 distinct ethnic groups, and speaking more than 100 languages
and dialects.
(2) There is a growing mental health crisis in the United
States, particularly for AANHPI individuals. AANHPI individuals
with mental health challenges have the lowest rates of mental
health service utilization compared to other racial or ethnic
populations. In 2021, only 25 percent of Asian adults with a
mental health challenge received treatment in the past year.
Although suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death, it is
the leading cause of death for AANHPI youth. From 2018 to 2020,
AANHPI youth between the ages of 10 to 24 years were the only
racial or ethnic population in this age category where suicide
was the leading cause of death.
(3) Such mental health disparities within the AANHPI
community may be attributed to systemic barriers to accessing
mental health services, including stigma attached to mental
health, limited availability of and access to culturally and
linguistically appropriate services, and insufficient research.
(4) Insufficient research on AANHPI communities often leads
to an inaccurate representation of their experiences and needs.
It is imperative to disaggregate AANHPI population data to
better understand the range of mental health issues for each
subpopulation so that specific culturally and linguistically
appropriate solutions can be developed.
(5) Critical investments are necessary to reduce stigma and
improve mental health within AANHPI communities, including
increasing culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach
education and mental health services, improving representation
of AANHPI individuals among behavioral health providers, and
strengthening disaggregated data collection in research.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL AANHPI BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
STRATEGY.
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 AANHPI BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
STRATEGY.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant
Secretary, shall, in coordination with the Director of the Office of
Minority Health, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in
consultation with advocacy and behavioral health organizations serving
populations of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
individuals or communities, develop and implement a national outreach
and education strategy to promote behavioral health and reduce stigma
associated with mental health and substance use disorders within the
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. Such
strategy shall--
``(1) be designed to meet the diverse cultural and language
needs of the various Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and
Pacific Islander populations;
``(2) be developmentally and age appropriate;
``(3) increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses
common within subgroups of such population, taking into account
differences within subgroups, such as gender, gender identity,
age, sexual orientation, or ethnicity;
``(4) provide information on evidence-based, culturally and
linguistically appropriate, and adapted interventions and
treatments;
``(5) ensure full participation of, and engage, both
consumers and community members in the development and
implementation of materials; and
``(6) seek to broaden the perspective among both
individuals in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific
Islander communities and stakeholders serving such communities
to use a comprehensive public health approach to promoting
behavioral health that addresses a holistic view of health by
focusing on the intersection between behavioral and physical
health.
``(b) Reports.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act
and annually thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant
Secretary, shall submit to Congress, and make publicly available, a
report on the extent to which the strategy developed and implemented
under subsection (a) increased treatment utilization among the Asian
American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population for mental
health and substance use disorders.
``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028.''.
SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE AANHPI 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, and the Director of the Office of Minority Health,
shall conduct a study on behavioral health among AANHPI youth.
(2) Elements.--Such study required under paragraph (1)
shall include an assessment of--
(A) the prevalence, risk factors, and root causes
of mental health challenges, substance misuse, and
mental health and substance use disorders among AANHPI
youth;
(B) the prevalence among AANHPI youth of attempted
suicide, nonfatal substance use overdose, and death by
suicide or substance use overdose; and
(C) AANHPI youth that received treatment for mental
health and substance use disorders.
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
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), including--
(1) identification of the barriers to accessing behavioral
health services for AANHPI youth;
(2) identification of root causes of mental health
challenges and substance misuse among AANHPI youth;
(3) recommendations for actions to be taken by the
Secretary to improve behavioral health among AANHPI youth;
(4) recommendations for legislative or administrative
action to improve the behavioral health of AANHPI youth
experiencing depression, suicide, and overdose, and to reduce
the prevalence of depression, suicide, and overdose among
AANHPI youth; and
(5) 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) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for
fiscal year 2024.
SEC. 6. STUDY AND REPORT ON STRATEGIES ON THE AANHPI BEHAVIORAL 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 Secretary of Labor, and the
Director of the Office of Minority Health, shall conduct a
study on strategies for increasing the behavioral health
professional workforce that identify as AANHPI.
(2) Elements.--Such study required under paragraph (1)
shall consider--
(A) the total number of licensed behavioral health
providers in the United States who identify as AANHPI;
(B) with respect to each such provider, information
regarding the current type of license, geographic area
of practice, and type of employer (such as hospital,
Federally-qualified health center, school, or private
practice);
(C) information regarding the cultural and
linguistic capabilities of such providers, including
languages spoken proficiently; and
(D) the relevant barriers to enrollment in
behavioral health professional education programs and
entering the behavioral workforce for AANHPI
individuals.
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
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), including--
(1) identification of AANHPI licensed behavioral health
providers' knowledge and awareness of the barriers to quality
behavioral health care services faced by AANHPI individuals,
including stigma, limited English proficiency, and lack of
health insurance coverage;
(2) recommendations for actions to be taken by the
Secretary to increase the number of AANHPI licensed behavioral
health professionals;
(3) recommendations for legislative or administrative
action to improve the enrollment of AANHPI individuals in
behavioral health professional education programs; and
(4) 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 ``licensed behavioral
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, and substance use disorder counseling.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for
fiscal year 2024.
<all>