I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2826 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for behavioral and mental 

health outreach and education strategies to reduce stigma associated 

with mental health among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and 

Pacific Islander population. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 17, 2019 

Ms. JUDY CHU of California (for herself and Mrs. NAPOLITANO) 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 

behavioral and mental health outreach and education 

strategies to reduce stigma associated with mental health 

among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander 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 ‘‘Stop Mental Health 

5 Stigma in Our Communities Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ASIAN AMERICAN, NATIVE HAWAIIAN, AND PACIFIC 

2 ISLANDER BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL 

3 HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION STRAT4 EGIES. 

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

6 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following new section: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 553. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH 

9 AND EDUCATION STRATEGIES. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

11 the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental 

12 Health Services Administration, shall, in coordination with 

13 advocacy and behavioral and mental health organizations 

14 serving populations of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, 

15 and Pacific Islander individuals or communities, develop 

16 and implement an outreach and education strategy to pro17 mote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma as18 sociated with mental health conditions and substance 

19 abuse among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and 

20 Pacific Islander populations. Such strategy shall— 

21 ‘‘(1) be designed to— 

22 ‘‘(A) meet the diverse cultural and lan23 guage needs of the various Asian American, 

24 Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander popu25 lations; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) ensure such strategies are develop2 mentally and age appropriate; 

3 ‘‘(2) increase awareness of symptoms of mental 

4 illnesses common among such populations, taking 

5 into account differences within subgroups, such as 

6 gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, or 

7 ethnicity, of such populations; 

8 ‘‘(3) provide information on evidence-based, cul9 turally and linguistically appropriate and adapted 

10 interventions and treatments; 

11 ‘‘(4) ensure full participation of, and engage, 

12 both consumers and community members in the de13 velopment and implementation of materials; and 

14 ‘‘(5) seek to broaden the perspective among 

15 both individuals in these communities and stake16 holders serving these communities to use a com17 prehensive public health approach to promoting be18 havioral health that addresses a holistic view of 

19 health by focusing on the intersection between be20 havioral and physical health. 

21 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

23 $300,000 for fiscal year 2020.’’. 

Æ 


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