I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8376 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national awareness 

and outreach campaign to improve mental health among the Hispanic 

and Latino youth population. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 14, 2024 

Ms. CARAVEO (for herself, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. SALINAS, 

Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 

WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. TORRES of 

New York, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. 

TLAIB, and Ms. STANSBURY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 

a national awareness and outreach campaign to improve 

mental health among the Hispanic and Latino youth 

population. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Latino Youth Mental 

5 Health Empowerment Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Hispanic and Latino youth often experience 

4 and suffer from toxic stress, which stems from pro5 longed stress, trauma, or adverse childhood experi6 ences. 

7 (2) At least 78 percent of Hispanic and Latino 

8 youth suffer from at least one adverse childhood ex9 perience, which can harm a child’s physical and 

10 mental health. 

11 (3) Among Hispanic and Latino youth, approxi12 mately 60 percent were more likely to report poor 

13 mental health compared to their counterparts. 

14 (4) About 37 percent of Hispanic and Latino 

15 youth have reported symptoms of moderate to severe 

16 depression. 

17 (5) Approximately 22 percent of Hispanic and 

18 Latino high school students have seriously con19 templated suicide. 

20 (6) Hispanic and Latinos are less likely than 

21 any other ethnic groups to receive clinical or school22 based mental illness treatment and medication. 

23 (7) Hispanic and Latino youth are less likely to 

24 use mental health care services compared to children 

25 of other ethnic groups. 


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1 (8) There are numerous factors that impact ac2 cessibility to mental health services and mental 

3 health outcomes. For instance, lower rates of health 

4 insurance, language and cultural barriers, and lack 

5 of parental education on mental health all contribute 

6 to adverse mental health outcomes for Hispanic and 

7 Latino youth. 

8 (9) Increased awareness and outreach about 

9 mental health to Hispanic and Latino parents, care10 givers, and youth are vital to ensure that Hispanic 

11 and Latino youth can experience positive mental 

12 health outcomes and reduced mental illness. 

13 SEC. 3. NATIONAL HISPANIC AND LATINO MENTAL HEALTH 

14 AWARENESS AND OUTREACH CAMPAIGN. 

15 Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 

16 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

17 end the following new section: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 553. NATIONAL HISPANIC AND LATINO YOUTH MEN19 TAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND OUTREACH 

20 CAMPAIGN. 

21 ‘‘(a) STUDY ON PRIOR CAMPAIGNS.—Not later than 

22 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the 

23 Secretary shall conduct a study on— 

24 ‘‘(1) any education and outreach campaigns to 

25 promote mental health and reduce stigma associated 


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1 with mental health that were carried out by the Sec2 retary on or before the date of the enactment of the 

3 Latino Youth Mental Health Empowerment Act; and 

4 ‘‘(2) which messaging delivered through such 

5 campaigns was most effective within the Latino com6 munity. 

7 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CAMPAIGN.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

9 through the Assistant Secretary, shall develop and 

10 implement a national awareness and outreach cam11 paign to promote mental health and reduce stigma 

12 associated with mental health within the Hispanic 

13 and Latino youth population. Such campaign shall 

14 be developed— 

15 ‘‘(A) taking into account the results of the 

16 study conducted under subsection (a); 

17 ‘‘(B) in coordination with the Director of 

18 the Office of Minority Health, the Director of 

19 the National Institutes of Health, the Director 

20 of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven21 tion, and Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 

22 and Substance Use, and the Secretary of Edu23 cation; and 

24 ‘‘(C) in consultation with relevant advocacy 

25 and mental health organizations serving popuVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:49 Jun 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8376.IH H8376

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1 lations of Hispanic and Latino individuals or 

2 communities. 

3 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS OF CAMPAIGN.—The campaign 

4 under paragraph (1) shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) develop a culturally- and linguis6 tically-competent awareness campaign, targeted 

7 at Hispanic and Latino parents, caregivers, 

8 youth, teachers, school personnel, and school 

9 clinic staff to meet the diverse needs of His10 panic and Latino youth, including— 

11 ‘‘(i) increasing awareness of symp12 toms associated with mental illnesses, in13 cluding their prevalence and misconcep14 tions among youth; 

15 ‘‘(ii) increasing awareness of factors 

16 driving mental illness among Hispanic and 

17 Latino youth, including factors that are so18 cial determinants of health, taking into ac19 count differences within population sub20 groups, such as gender, gender identity, 

21 age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, geo22 graphic region or location, immigration 

23 status, and history of adverse childhood ex24 periences; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) combatting the stigma of mental 

2 illnesses that are common in the Hispanic 

3 and Latino community, taking into ac4 count differences within such population 

5 subgroups; and 

6 ‘‘(iv) increasing awareness of evi7 dence-based, culturally-tailored, and trau8 ma-informed mental illness screening, 

9 intervention, and treatment options, taking 

10 into account differences within such popu11 lation subgroups; and 

12 ‘‘(B) develop a culturally and linguistically 

13 competent outreach campaign, targeted at His14 panic and Latino parents, caregivers, youth, 

15 teachers, school personnel, and school clinic 

16 staff to meet the diverse needs of Hispanic and 

17 Latino youth, including— 

18 ‘‘(i) creating and distributing mental 

19 health materials and resources (including 

20 materials relating to the National Suicide 

21 Prevention and Mental Health Hotline 

22 under section 520E–3) in collaboration 

23 with local, State, and national community 

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1 groups, such as gender, gender identity, 

2 age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and geo3 graphic region or location; 

4 ‘‘(ii) hosting in-person and virtual 

5 mental health workshops at relevant loca6 tions, including elementary schools and 

7 secondary schools (as defined in section 

8 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

9 Education Act of 1965, community cen10 ters, and other appropriate sites; 

11 ‘‘(iii) providing youth mental health 

12 first aid training to parents, caregivers, 

13 teachers, school personnel, and school clin14 ic staff, and other personnel that consist15 ently interact or work with the target pop16 ulation; 

17 ‘‘(iv) establishing partnerships be18 tween local, State, and national mental 

19 health agencies and elementary schools and 

20 secondary schools (as defined in section 

21 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

22 Education Act of 1965), after-school pro23 grams, and other appropriate sites that 

24 serve Hispanic and Latino youth; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) providing mental health 

2 screenings and on-site consultations at ele3 mentary schools and secondary schools (as 

4 defined in section 8101 of the of the Ele5 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 

6 1965), community centers, and other ap7 propriates sites. 

8 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

10 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

11 SEC. 4. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE HISPANIC AND LATINO 

12 YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. 

13 (a) STUDY.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

15 through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 

16 and Substance Use, in coordination with the Direc17 tor of the National Institutes of Health, the Director 

18 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

19 the Director of the Office of Minority Health, and 

20 the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, 

21 shall conduct a study on mental health among His22 panic and Latino youth. 

23 (2) ELEMENTS.—Such study required under 

24 paragraph (1) shall include an assessment of— 


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1 (A) the prevalence and risk factors of men2 tal health and substance use disorders among 

3 Hispanic and Latino youth; 

4 (B) the prevalence of attempted suicide 

5 and death by suicide among Hispanic and 

6 Latino youth; 

7 (C) the prevalence of treatment for mental 

8 health and substance use disorders among His9 panic and Latino youth; 

10 (D) the awareness and utilization of the 9– 

11 8–8 National Suicide Prevention and Mental 

12 Health Hotline under section 520E–3 of the 

13 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb– 

14 36c) and other mental health and suicide pre15 vention hotlines among Hispanic and Latino 

16 youth; 

17 (E) the awareness, utilization, and avail18 ability of mobile crisis care teams, dispatched 

19 through the 9–8–8 National Suicide Prevention 

20 and Mental Health Hotline or other mental 

21 health and suicide prevent hotlines, among His22 panic and Latino youth; and 

23 (F) the awareness, utilization, and avail24 ability of crisis centers for Hispanic and Latino 


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1 youth in acute mental health or substance use 

2 crisis. 

3 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

4 of the enactment of the Latino Youth Mental Health Em5 powerment Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Com6 mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

7 Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of 

8 the House of Representatives, and make publicly available, 

9 a report on the findings of the study conducted under sub10 section (a), including— 

11 (1) identification of the barriers to accessing 

12 mental health services and treatment for Hispanic 

13 and Latino youth; 

14 (2) recommendations to improve mental health 

15 services, outreach, and treatment among Hispanic 

16 and Latino youth; 

17 (3) recommendations to reduce rates of mental 

18 health and substance use disorders and suicide 

19 among Hispanic and Latino youth; 

20 (4) recommendations to improve awareness and 

21 utilization of the 9–8–8 National Suicide Prevention 

22 and Mental Health Hotline and other mental health 

23 and suicide prevention hotlines among Hispanic and 

24 Latino youth; 


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1 (5) recommendations to improve access to, and 

2 utilization of, mobile crisis care teams among His3 panic and Latino youth, when clinically appropriate; 

4 (6) recommendation to improve access to, and 

5 utilization of, crisis centers for Hispanic and Latino 

6 youth in acute mental health or substance use crisis, 

7 when clinically appropriate; and 

8 (7) such other recommendations as the Sec9 retary determines appropriate. 

10 (c) DATA.—Any data included in the study or report 

11 under this section shall be disaggregated by race, eth12 nicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, geo13 graphic region, disability status, and other relevant fac14 tors, in a manner that, as appropriate and feasible, pro15 tects personal privacy and that is consistent with applica16 ble Federal and State privacy law. 

17 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For pur18 poses of carrying out this section, there is authorized to 

19 be appropriated $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

20 SEC. 5. STUDY AND REPORT ON THE HISPANIC AND LATINO 

21 MENTAL HEALTH WORKFORCE SHORTAGE. 

22 (a) STUDY.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

24 through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 

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1 istrator of the Health Resources and Services Ad2 ministration, the Director of the Office of Minority 

3 Health, the Surgeon General of the Public Health 

4 Service, and the Secretary of Labor, and shall con5 duct a study on strategies for increasing the mental 

6 health professional workforce that identify as His7 panic or Latino. 

8 (2) ELEMENTS.—Such study required under 

9 paragraph (1) shall address— 

10 (A) the total number of licensed clinical 

11 and non-clinical mental health providers who 

12 identify as Hispanic or Latino; 

13 (B) with respect to each such provider, in14 formation regarding the current license type, 

15 geographic location of practice, and type of em16 ployer (such as a hospital, Federally-qualified 

17 health center (as defined in section 1861(aa)(4) 

18 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

19 1395x(aa)(4))), elementary school or secondary 

20 school (as such terms are defined in section 

21 8101 of the of the Elementary and Secondary 

22 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801), or 

23 private practice); 

24 (C) information regarding the languages 

25 spoken among providers, including the level of 


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1 proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing 

2 such languages; and 

3 (D) the current enrollment of Hispanic 

4 and Latino individuals in mental health profes5 sional education programs. 

6 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

7 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 

8 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen9 sions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and 

10 Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make 

11 publicly available, a report on the findings of the study 

12 conducted under subsection (a). Such report shall— 

13 (1) assess Hispanic and Latino clinical and 

14 non-clinical mental health providers’ knowledge and 

15 awareness of the barriers to quality mental health 

16 care services faced by Hispanic and Latino individ17 uals; 

18 (2) include recommendations for actions to be 

19 taken by the Secretary to increase the number of 

20 Hispanic and Latino clinical and non-clinical mental 

21 health professionals; 

22 (3) include recommendations to improve enroll23 ment in mental health professional education pro24 grams among Hispanic and Latino individuals; and 


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1 (4) include such other recommendations as the 

2 Secretary determines appropriate. 

3 (c) DATA.—Any data included in the study or report 

4 under this section shall be disaggregated by race, eth5 nicity, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, geo6 graphic region, disability status, and other relevant fac7 tors, in a manner that protects personal privacy and that 

8 is consistent with applicable Federal and State privacy 

9 law. 

10 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘clinical 

11 and non-clinical mental health provider’’ means any indi12 vidual licensed to provide mental health or substance use 

13 disorder services, including in the professions of social 

14 work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family ther15 apy, mental health counseling, substance use disorder 

16 counseling, peer support, primary care, pediatrics, nurs17 ing, and other fields as determined by the Secretary. 

18 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For pur19 poses of carrying out this section, there is authorized to 

20 be appropriated $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

Æ 


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