[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 81 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 681--SUPPORTING THE DESIGNATION OF MAY 10, 2024, AS 
``NATIONAL ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MENTAL 
                              HEALTH DAY''

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

                              S. Res. 681

       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 background, education level, types of 
     employment, languages spoken, cultures of origin, 
     acculturation, and migration and colonization status;
       Whereas AANHPIs have among the lowest rates of utilization 
     of mental health services, and 63.7 percent of the estimated 
     2,600,000 AANHPIs who meet criteria for a mental health 
     problem do not receive treatment;
       Whereas, from 2018 to 2020, AANHPI youth ages 10 to 24 
     years old in the United States 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 
     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 provide them with 
     necessary training and ongoing support;
       Whereas historical discrimination and current racial 
     violence toward AANHPIs increase 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 
     society of the United States, and National Mental Health 
     Awareness Month, recognizing the importance of mental health 
     to the well-being and health of 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, 2024, ``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 one's 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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