Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act”.
Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national outreach and education strategy and research to improve the behavioral and mental health of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population, while addressing stigma within such population against behavioral and mental health treatment.
Sec. 2 Definitions
Sec. 3 Findings
Congress finds the following:
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.
There is a growing mental health crisis in the United States, particularly for AANHPI individuals. AANHPI individuals with mental health problems 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 problem received treatment in the past year. Although suicide is the tenth 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 old were the only racial or ethnic population in this age category where suicide was the leading cause of death.
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.
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 specific culturally and linguistically appropriate solutions can be developed.
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 data collection in research.
Sec. 4 National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander behavioral and mental 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:
“553. National AANHPI behavioral and mental health outreach and education strategy
“(a) In general—The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall, in coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and the Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and in consultation with advocacy and behavioral and mental 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 and mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorder 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 subpopulations;
“(2) be developmentally and age-appropriate;
“(3) increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses common among such subpopulations, 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 and mental health that addresses a holistic view of health by focusing on the intersection between behavioral and mental health and physical health.
“(b) Reports—Beginning not later than one year after the date of enactment of the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall submit to the Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the extent to which the strategy under subsection (a) improved behavioral and mental health outcomes associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorders within the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population.
“(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
Study—
In general— The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in coordination with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and the Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, shall conduct a study on mental health among AANHPI youth.
Elements— The study required by paragraph (1) shall include assessment of—
the prevalence of mental health conditions and substance use disorders among AANHPI youth;
AANHPI youth who attempted suicide or died by suicide or substance use overdose; and
AANHPI youth who received treatment for a mental health condition or substance use disorder.
Report— Not later than one 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), including—
identification of the barriers to behavioral and mental health services that are faced by AANHPI youth;
identification of root causes of mental health issues among AANHPI youth;
recommendations for actions to be taken by the Secretary to improve mental health among AANHPI youth;
recommendations for legislative or administrative actions to improve mental health among AANHPI youth and reduce the prevalence of AANHPI youth experiencing depression or suicide; and
such other recommendations as the Secretary determines appropriate.
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.
Authorization of appropriations— To carry 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 and mental health workforce shortage
Study—
In general— The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, shall conduct a study on strategies for increasing the behavioral and mental health professional workforce that identify as AANHPI.
Elements— The study required by paragraph (1) shall include—
the total number of licensed behavioral and mental health providers in the United States who identify as AANHPI;
information regarding each such provider’s current type of license, geographic area of practice, and type of employer (such as a hospital, a Federally qualified health center, a school, or private practice); and
information regarding the cultural and linguistic capabilities of such providers, including languages spoken proficiently.
Report— Not later than one 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 under subsection (a), including—
identification of AANHPI licensed behavioral and mental health care providers’ knowledge and awareness of the barriers to high-quality behavioral and mental health care services faced by AANHPI individuals, including stigma, limited English proficiency, and lack of health insurance coverage;
recommendations for actions to be taken by the Secretary to increase the number of AANHPI licensed behavioral and mental health professionals;
recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve the enrollment of AANHPI individuals in behavioral and mental health professional education programs; and
such other recommendations as the Secretary determines appropriate.
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.
Definition— In this section, the term licensed behavioral and mental health provider means any individual licensed to provide mental health and substance use disorder services, such as in the professions of social work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling, and substance use disorder counseling.
Authorization of appropriations— To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2024.