,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bdde ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #bd1 #bjbe ,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 promote mental wellness and resilience and prevent and heal mental health1 behavioral health1 and psychosocial conditions through developmentally 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 #bjbe4 #b4 ,grant programs for community mental wellness and resilience ,title ,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act is amended by inserting after section #cag,v 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bdg;b-#bd7 the following3 #cag,w4 ,grant programs for community mental wellness and resilience 7a7 ,grants 7#a7 ,planning grants 7,a7 ,awards ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use and the ,administrator of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration1 shall award grants to eligible organizations-- 7i7 to organize a mental wellness and resilience coordinating network2 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#b74 7,b7 ,amount ,the amount of a grant under subparagraph 7,a71 with respect to any eligible organization seeking such a grant shall not exceed #bej1jjj4 7,c7 ,eligible organization defined ,in this paragraph1 the term eligible organization means an organization that-- 7i7 is a nonprofit or community-based entity eligible to be a part of the resilience coordinating network under subsection 7c72 and 7ii7 has documented support from at least #c other such entities4 7#b7 ,program grants 7,a7 ,awards ,the ,secretary shall carry out a program of awarding grants to resilience coordinating networks1 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 #ejj1jjj each year over a period not to exceed #d years4 7,c7 ,rural set aside 7i7 ,in general ,of the funds appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year1 #bj percent of such funds shall be reserved to award grants to community mental wellness and resilience programs in rural areas4 7ii7 ,rural area described ,for purposes of clause 7i71 a rural area is a region outside of an urban or suburban area4 7iii7 ,inclusion ,for purposes of clause 7ii71 a rural area may include individuals and organizations from multiple towns in the county or region involved4 7b7 ,program requirements ,a program carried out using funds awarded under subsection 7a77#b7 shall take a public health approach to mental health prevention and promotion1 using the best available evidence1 to strengthen the entire community's psychological and emotional wellness and resilience1 including by-- 7#a7 collecting and analyzing information from residents of the community as well as quantitative data 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 detect1 prevent1 and heal mental health1 behavioral health1 and psychosocial conditions 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 utilizing developmentally1 linguistically1 and culturally appropriate evidence-based1 evidence-informed1 promising-best1 or indigenous practices for-- 7,a7 engaging residents in building social connections1 including across cultural1 geographic1 and economic boundaries2 7,b7 enhancing local economic1 social1 and environmental conditions1 including with respect to the built environment2 7,c7 becoming trauma-informed and learning simple self-administrable mental wellness and resilience skills2 7,d7 engaging in community activities that strengthen mental wellness and resilience2 7,e7 partaking in nonclinical group and community-minded prevention and recovery programs2 and 7,f7 other activities to promote mental wellness and resilience and prevent or heal individual and community traumas4 7c7 ,resilience coordinating network 7#a7 ,in general ,in this section1 the term resilience coordinating network means a network that is composed of #a or more representatives 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 community-based organizations1 neighborhood associations1 and volunteer civic organizations4 7,b7 ,elementary and secondary schools1 high-needs schools1 institutions of higher education1 including community colleges1 job-training programs1 and other education or training agencies or organizations4 7,c7 ,youth serving organizations1 such as youth after-school and summer programs4 7,d7 ,parental1 family1 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 emergency response groups and organizations4 7,j7 ,businesses and business associations4 7,k7 ,organizations involved with community safety1 security1 and the justice system4 7,l7 ,social work1 mental health1 behavioral health1 substance use1 physical health1 public health1 and other professional groups1 organizations1 agencies1 and institutions in the human health and social services fields4 7,m7 ,the general public1 including individuals who have experienced adverse mental health or behavioral health conditions who can represent and engage with populations and sectors relevant to the community4 7d7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide to eligible organizations and resilience coordinating networks1 directly or through grants or contracts awarded to public or private entities1 technical assistance for purposes of-- 7#a7 developing applications for grants under paragraph 7#a7 or 7#b7 of subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 sharing best practices learned from resilience coordinating networks4 7e7 ,report 7#a7 ,submission ,not later than ,december #ca1 #bjcj1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to ,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 programs1 and the outputs and outcomes achieved4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term public health approach to mental health means methods that-- 7,a7 take a population-level approach to promote mental wellness and resilience to prevent problems before they emerge1 intervene before they become more severe1 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 psychological1 emotional1 and behavioral wellness and resilience for adversities2 7ii7 taking a holistic systems perspective that recognizes that most mental health1 behavioral health1 and psychosocial conditions result from numerous interrelated personal1 family1 social1 economic1 and environmental factors that require multipronged community-based interventions2 and 7iii7 using the best available evidence to take action and implement strategies that support mental health prevention and recovery efforts4 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 or urban1 suburban1 or rural locale4 7#c7 ,the term community trauma means a traumatic event or events that are shared by a community and that have lasting adverse effects on the health and well-being of the community4 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 experiences positive emotional functioning1 pursues self-defined goals1 establishes and maintains meaningful relationships1 and feels a sense of meaning and purpose4 ,at the individual level1 well-being is based on fundamental family1 social1 cognitive1 and emotional skills and supports that help individuals react1 cope1 and adapt in healthy ways to stress1 uncertainty1 adversity1 trauma1 and change4 ,at the community level1 well-being is influenced by the social1 economic1 educational1 and environmental factors and conditions that either enhance or diminish well-being within the community4 7#f7 ,the term psychosocial problem means social and environmental structures and processes that adversely effect and influence an individual's mental state or community health4 7#g7 ,the term resilience means that people develop cognitive1 psychological1 emotional1 and behavioral 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 prolonged1 severe1 and stressful situations with no period of recovery or support4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #cf1jjj1jjj for the period of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4 7#b7 ,limitation ,of the amount made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year1 not more than #e percent of such funds may be used to carry out subsection 7d74 4