[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 10, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 205--SUPPORTING THE DESIGNATION OF MAY 10, 2023, AS 
``NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MENTAL 
                              HEALTH DAY''

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. 
Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Fetterman, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. 
Padilla, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Schatz, Ms. Warren, and Mr. Wyden) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 205

       Whereas the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific 
     Islander (referred to in this preamble as ``AANHPI'') 
     community is among the fastest growing population groups in 
     the United States and has made significant economic, 
     cultural, and social contributions;
       Whereas the AANHPI community is extremely diverse in terms 
     of socioeconomic levels, education, employment, languages, 
     cultures of origin, acculturation, migrant status, and 
     colonization status;
       Whereas, in 2021, 77 percent of the estimated 2,600,000 
     AANHPI individuals who meet criteria for a mental health 
     problem did not receive treatment;
       Whereas, in 2021, only 24.5 percent of Asian adults with a 
     mental health problem received mental health services in the 
     past year, and Asian adults have the lowest rates of 
     utilization of mental health services out of any racial 
     population;
       Whereas, from 2018 to 2020, AANHPI youth 10 to 24 years of 
     age were the only racial or ethnic population in this age 
     category whose leading cause of death was suicide;
       Whereas it is imperative to disaggregate AANHPI population 
     data to get an accurate representation of the depth and 
     breadth of the mental health issues for each subpopulation so 
     that specific culturally and linguistically appropriate 
     solutions can be developed;
       Whereas language access continues to be a critical issue 
     for AANHPI individuals seeking mental health services, 
     whether due to the limited number of providers with the 
     necessary language skills to provide in-language services or 
     the significant language loss faced by Native Hawaiian and 
     Pacific Islander communities due to colonization;
       Whereas there is a need to significantly increase the 
     number of providers, including paraprofessionals, 
     representing AANHPI communities and providing them with the 
     necessary training and ongoing support;
       Whereas historical discrimination and current racial 
     violence toward AANHPI individuals increases trauma and 
     stress, underlying precursors to mental health problems;
       Whereas there is a critical need to raise awareness about 
     and improve mental health literacy among the AANHPI community 
     to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues; 
     and
       Whereas May is both National Asian American, Native 
     Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, an opportunity 
     to celebrate the vast contributions of this population to the 
     United States, and National Mental Health Awareness Month, 
     recognizing the importance of mental health to the well-being 
     and health of AANHPI families and communities and connecting 
     the importance of one's cultural heritage to good mental 
     health: Now, therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the designation of May 10, 2023, as ``National 
     Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental 
     Health Day'';
       (2) recognizes the importance of mental health to the well-
     being and health of families and communities;
       (3) acknowledges the importance of raising awareness about 
     mental health and improving the quality of care for Asian 
     American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities;
       (4) recognizes that celebrating cultural and linguistic 
     heritage is beneficial to mental health; and
       (5) encourages Federal, State, and local health agencies to 
     adopt laws, policies, and guidance to improve help-seeking 
     rates for mental health services for the Asian American, 
     Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community and other 
     communities of color.

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