,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #afhi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #h1 #bjbe,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself and ,ms4 ,cortez ,masto7 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 provide for a national outreach and education strategy and research to improve behavioral health among the ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 and ,pacific ,islander population1 while addressing stigma against behavioral health treatment among such population4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,stop ,mental ,health ,stigma in ,our ,communities ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,,aanhpi ,the term ,,aanhpi means ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 and ,pacific ,islander4 7#b7 ,secretary ,except as otherwise specified1 the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 #c4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,,aanhpi community is among the fastest growing population groups in the ,united ,states4 ,it is a diverse population representing more than #gj distinct ethnicities1 and speaking more than #ajj languages and dialects4 7#b7 ,there is a growing mental health crisis in the ,united ,states1 particularly for ,,aanhpi individuals4 ,,aanhpi individuals with mental health challenges have the lowest rates of mental health service utilization compared to other racial or ethnic populations4 ,in #bjbc1 only #ce percent of ,asian adults with a mental health challenge received treatment in the past year4 ,although suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death1 it is the leading cause of death for ,,aanhpi youth4 ,from #bjah to #bjbc1 ,,aanhpi youth between the ages of #aj to #bd years were the only racial or ethnic population in this age category where suicide was the leading cause of death4 7#c7 ,such mental health disparities within the ,,aanhpi community may be attributed to systemic barriers to accessing mental health services1 including stigma attached to mental health1 limited availability of and access to culturally and linguistically appropriate services1 and insufficient research4 7#d7 ,insufficient research on ,,aanhpi communities often leads to an inaccurate representation of their experiences and needs4 ,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 developed4 7#e7 ,critical investments are necessary to reduce stigma and improve mental health within ,,aanhpi communities1 including increasing culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach education and mental health services1 improving representation of ,,aanhpi individuals among the behavioral health workforce1 and strengthening disaggregated data collection in research4 #d4 ,national ,,aanhpi behavioral health outreach and education strategy ,part ,d of title ,v of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;dd et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #eed4 ,national ,,aanhpi behavioral health outreach and education strategy 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary1 shall1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,office of ,minority ,health1 the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 and the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 and in consultation with advocacy and behavioral health organizations serving populations of ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 and ,pacific ,islander individuals or communities1 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 ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 and ,pacific ,islander population4 ,such strategy shall-- 7#a7 be designed to meet the diverse cultural and language needs and preferences of the various ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 and ,pacific ,islander populations2 7#b7 be developmentally and age appropriate2 7#c7 increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses common within subgroups of such population1 taking into account differences within subgroups1 such as gender1 gender identity1 age1 sexual orientation1 culture1 or ethnicity2 7#d7 provide information1 in a publicly accessible manner1 on evidence-based1 culturally and linguistically appropriate1 and adapted interventions and treatments2 7#e7 ensure full participation of1 and engage1 both consumers and community members in the development and implementation of materials2 and 7#f7 seek to broaden the perspective among both individuals in ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 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 health4 7b7 ,reports ,beginning not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of the ,stop ,mental ,health ,stigma in ,our ,communities ,act of #bjbe and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary1 shall submit to ,congress1 and make publicly available1 a report on the extent to which the strategy developed and implemented under subsection 7a7 increased awareness among the ,asian ,american1 ,native ,hawaiian1 and ,pacific ,islander population of mental health and substance use disorders4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #c1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 4 #e4 ,systematic review of and report on the ,,aanhpi youth behavioral health crisis 7a7 ,systematic review 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,national ,institutes of ,health1 the ,director of the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention1 and the ,director of the ,office of ,minority ,health1 shall conduct a systematic review of behavioral health among ,,aanhpi youth4 7#b7 ,elements ,such systematic review required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of-- 7,a7 the prevalence1 risk factors1 and root causes of mental health challenges1 substance misuse1 and mental health and substance use disorders among ,,aanhpi youth2 7,b7 the prevalence and methods of attempted suicide1 nonfatal substance use overdose1 and death by suicide or substance use overdose among ,,aanhpi youth2 and 7,c7 ,,aanhpi youth that received treatment for mental health and substance use disorders4 7b7 ,report ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives1 and make publicly available1 a report on the findings of the systematic review conducted under subsection 7a71 including-- 7#a7 identification of the barriers to accessing behavioral health prevention1 treatment1 and recovery services for ,,aanhpi youth2 7#b7 identification of root causes of mental health challenges and substance misuse among ,,aanhpi youth2 7#c7 recommendations for evidence-based actions to be taken by the ,secretary to improve behavioral health among ,,aanhpi youth2 7#d7 recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve the behavioral health of ,,aanhpi youth experiencing depression1 suicide1 and overdose1 and to reduce the prevalence of depression1 suicide1 overdose1 and other behavioral health conditions among ,,aanhpi youth2 and 7#e7 such other recommendations as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7c7 ,data ,any data included in the systematic review or report under this section shall be disaggregated by race1 ethnicity1 age1 sex1 gender identity1 sexual orientation1 geographic region1 disability status1 and other relevant factors1 in a manner that protects personal privacy and that is consistent with applicable ,federal and ,state privacy law4 7d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,for purposes of carrying out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #a1ejj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbf4 #f4 ,systematic review of and report on strategies on the ,,aanhpi behavioral health workforce shortage 7a7 ,systematic review 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 the ,secretary of ,labor1 and the ,director of the ,office of ,minority ,health1 shall conduct a systematic review of strategies for increasing the behavioral health workforce that identify as ,,aanhpi4 7#b7 ,elements ,such systematic review required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of-- 7,a7 the total number of behavioral health workers in the ,united ,states who identify as ,,aanhpi2 7,b7 with respect to each such worker1 information regarding the current type of license1 geographic area of practice1 and type of employer 7such as hospital1 ,federally-qualified health center1 school1 or private practice72 7,c7 information regarding the cultural and linguistic capabilities of such workers1 including languages spoken proficiently2 7,d7 the relevant barriers to enrollment in behavioral health professional education programs and entering the behavioral health workforce for ,,aanhpi individuals2 and 7,e7 the total number of behavioral health workers who identify as ,,aanhpi and who participate in ,federal programs that seek to increase1 train1 and support the behavioral health workforce4 7b7 ,report ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives1 and make publicly available1 a report on the findings of the systematic review conducted under subsection 7a71 including-- 7#a7 identification of ,,aanhpi behavioral health workers' knowledge and awareness of the barriers to quality behavioral health care services faced by ,,aanhpi individuals1 including stigma1 limited ,english proficiency1 and lack of health insurance coverage2 7#b7 recommendations for actions to be taken by the ,secretary to increase the number of ,,aanhpi behavioral health workers2 7#c7 recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve the enrollment of ,,aanhpi individuals in behavioral health workforce education and training programs2 and 7#d7 such other recommendations as the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7c7 ,data ,any data included in the systematic review or report under this section shall be disaggregated by race1 ethnicity1 age1 sex1 gender identity1 sexual orientation1 geographic region1 disability status1 and other relevant factors1 in a manner that protects personal privacy and that is consistent with applicable ,federal and ,state privacy law4 7d7 ,definition ,in this section the term behavioral health worker means any individual licensed or certified to provide mental health or substance use disorder services1 including in the professions of social work1 psychology1 psychiatry1 marriage and family therapy1 mental health counseling1 peer support1 and substance use disorder counseling4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,for purposes of carrying out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #a1ejj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbf4