,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ebea ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #ad1 #bjbb,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 and ,mr4 ,merkley7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to direct the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 to promote mental wellness and resilience and heal mental health1 behavioral health1 and psychosocial problems through age and culturally appropriate community programs1 and award grants for the purpose of establishing1 operating1 or expanding community-based mental wellness and resilience programs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,community ,mental ,wellness and ,resilience ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,grant program for community mental wellness and resilience programs ,title ,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act is amended by inserting after section #cag,u 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;b-#bc7 the following3 #cag,v4 ,grant program for community wellness and resilience programs 7a7 ,grants 7#a7 ,program grants 7,a7 ,awards ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 in coordination with the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use and the ,administrator of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 shall carry out a program of awarding grants to eligible entities1 on a competitive basis1 for the purpose of establishing1 operating1 or expanding community mental wellness and resilience programs4 7,b7 ,amount ,the amount of a grant under subparagraph 7,a7 shall not exceed #d1jjj1jjj4 7#b7 ,planning grants 7,a7 ,awards ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 in coordination with the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use and the ,administrator of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 shall award grants to entities-- 7i7 to organize a consortium that meets the requirements of subsection 7c72 7ii7 to perform assessments of need with respect to community mental wellness and resilience2 and 7iii7 to prepare an application for a grant under paragraph 7#a74 7,b7 ,amount ,the amount of a grant under subparagraph 7,a71 with respect to any consortium to be organized for applying for a grant under paragraph 7#a71 shall not exceed #ae1jjj4 7b7 ,program requirements ,a community mental wellness and resilience program funded pursuant to a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 shall take a public health approach to mental health to strengthen the entire community's psychological and emotional wellness and resilience1 including by-- 7#a7 collecting and analyzing information from residents1 as well as quantitative data1 to identify-- 7,a7 protective factors that enhance and sustain the community's capacity for mental wellness and resilience2 and 7,b7 risk factors that undermine such capacity2 7#b7 strengthening such protective factors and addressing such risk factors2 7#c7 building awareness1 skills1 tools1 and leadership in the community to-- 7,a7 facilitate using a public health approach to mental health2 and 7,b7 heal mental health and psychosocial problems among all adults and youth2 and 7#d7 developing1 implementing1 and continually evaluating and improving a comprehensive strategic plan for carrying out the activities described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b7 and 7#c7 that includes-- 7,a7 evidence-based or promising best practices for-- 7i7 enhancing local economic and environmental conditions and environmental resilience1 including with respect to the built environment2 7ii7 becoming trauma-informed and learning simple self-administrable mental wellness and resilience skills2 7iii7 engaging in community activities that strengthen mental wellness and resilience2 7iv7 partaking in nonclinical group and community-minded recovery and healing programs2 and 7v7 other activities to promote mental wellness and resilience1 combat climate anxiety1 and heal individual and community traumas2 and 7,b7 age-appropriate and culturally appropriate methods to engage people in building social connections4 7c7 ,eligible entities 7#a7 ,in general ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a77#a71 an applicant shall be a nonprofit or community organization that has entered into1 or will use planning funding awarded under subsection 7a77#b7 to enter into1 a consortium with entities from at least #e of the categories listed in paragraph 7#b74 7#b7 ,categories ,the categories listed in this paragraph are the following3 7,a7 ,grassroots groups1 neighborhood associations1 and volunteer civic organizations4 7,b7 ,elementary and secondary schools1 institutions of higher education including community colleges1 job-training programs1 and other education or training agencies or organizations4 7,c7 ,youth after-school and summer programs4 7,d7 ,family and early childhood education programs4 7,e7 ,faith and spirituality organizations4 7,f7 ,senior care organizations4 7,g7 ,climate change mitigation and adaptation1 and environmental conservation1 groups and organizations4 7,h7 ,social and environmental justice groups and organizations4 7,i7 ,disaster preparedness and response groups and organizations4 7,j7 ,businesses and business associations4 7,k7 ,agencies and organizations involved with community safety4 7,l7 ,social work1 mental health1 behavioral health1 substance use1 physical health1 and public health professionals2 public health agencies and institutions2 and mental health1 behavioral health1 social work1 and other professionals1 groups1 organizations1 agencies1 and institutions in the health and human services fields4 7,m7 ,the general public1 including individuals who have experienced mental health or psychosocial problems who can represent and engage with populations relevant to the community4 7d7 ,priority ,in awarding a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 or 7a77#b71 the ,secretary shall give priority to applicants proposing to carry out a community mental wellness and resilience program that uses a public health approach to mental health to develop1 implement1 and continually evaluate and improve age and culturally appropriate education1 skills training1 and other services that use a strength-based approach to enhance the capacity for mental wellness and resilience for all types of toxic stresses and traumas among all adults and youth in the community4 7e7 ,report 7#a7 ,submission ,not later than the end of calendar year #bjbh1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to the ,congress on the results of the grants under subsection 7a77#a74 7#b7 ,contents ,such report shall include a summary of the best practices used by grantees in establishing1 operating1 or expanding community mental wellness and resilience programs4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term public health approach to mental health refers to methods that-- 7,a7 take a population-level approach to promote mental wellness and resilience to prevent problems before they emerge and heal them when they do appear1 not merely treating individuals one at a time after symptoms of pathology appear2 and 7,b7 address mental health and psychosocial problems by-- 7i7 identifying and strengthening existing protective factors1 and forming new ones1 that buffer people from and enhance their capacity for psychological and emotional resilience2 and 7ii7 taking a holistic systems perspective that recognizes that most mental health and psychosocial problems result from numerous interrelated personal1 family1 social1 economic1 and environmental factors that require multipronged community-based interventions4 7#b7 ,the term community means people1 groups1 and organizations that reside in or work within a specific geographic area1 such as a city1 neighborhood1 subdivision1 urban1 suburban1 or rural locale4 7#c7 ,the term community trauma means a blow to the basic fabric of social life that damages the bonds attaching people together1 impairs their prevailing sense of community1 undermines their fundamental sense of safety1 justice1 equity1 and security1 and heightens individual and collective fears and feelings of vulnerability4 7#d7 ,the term protective factors means strengths1 skills1 resources1 and characteristics that-- 7,a7 are associated with a lower likelihood of negative outcomes of adversities2 or 7,b7 reduce the impact on people of toxic stresses or a traumatic experience4 7#e7 ,the term mental wellness means a state of well-being in which an individual can-- 7,a7 realize their own potential2 7,b7 constructively cope with the stresses of life2 7,c7 work productively and fruitfully2 and 7,d7 make a contribution to their community4 7#f7 ,the term psychosocial problem refers to how an individual's mental health or behavioral health problem disturbs others such as children1 families1 communities1 or society4 7#g7 ,the term resilience means that people develop cognitive1 psychological1 emotional capabilities and social connections that enable them to calm their body1 mind1 emotions1 and behaviors during toxic stresses or traumatic experiences in ways that enable them to-- 7,a7 respond without negative consequences for themselves or others2 and 7,b7 use the experiences as catalysts to develop a constructive new sense of meaning1 purpose1 and hope4 7#h7 ,the term toxic stress means exposure to a persistent overwhelming traumatic and stressful situations4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #cj1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh4 4