IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 86 
Expressing the sense of Congress that an appropriate month should be recog-
nized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Aware-
ness Month to enhance public awareness of mental illness, especially 
within minority communities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2007 
Mrs. JONES of Ohio submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress that an appropriate month 
should be recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National 
Minority Mental Health Awareness Month to enhance 
public awareness of mental illness, especially within mi-
nority communities. 
Whereas mental illness is one of the leading causes of dis-
ability in the United States, affecting one out of every 
four families in the United States and victimizing both 
those with the illness and those who care for and love 
those afflicted; 
Whereas three major brain diseases, schizophrenia, bipolar 
disorder, and depression, adversely affect the economy, 
contribute to the rise in incarceration rates, and erode 
the quality of family life of those involved; 
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•HCON 86 IH 
Whereas the National Institute of Mental Health has re-
ported that many people suffer from more than one men-
tal disorder at a given time; 
Whereas nearly half (45 percent) of those with any mental 
disorder meet criteria for two or more health disorders, 
with severity strongly related to co-morbidity, including 
diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, and cancer; 
Whereas according to the Office of Minority and National Af-
fairs for the American Psychiatric Association, although 
mental disorders impact all groups of people, African 
Americans experience a greater unmet need for mental 
health services than other groups of people and receive a 
lesser quality of care than such other groups; 
Whereas according to the National Alliance for Mentally Ill, 
the direct and indirect costs to the workplace resulting 
from the affects of mental disorders equal $34,000,000; 
Whereas two-thirds of all people with a diagnosable mental 
disorder do not seek treatment, especially people from di-
verse communities; 
Whereas the consequences of mental disorders, especially de-
pression, are felt acutely among minority communities; 
Whereas such consequences include physical symptoms and 
the obstacle of being confronted with the stigma associ-
ated with diagnosis and treatment associated with mental 
disorders, which proves to be a major obstacle that pre-
vents people from getting help; 
Whereas to this end, communities of color are in need of cul-
turally and linguistically competent mental health re-
sources, including for purposes of encouraging the provi-
sion of mental health services by health care providers 
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•HCON 86 IH 
from multi-ethnic communities and training all health 
care providers to serve multi-ethnic consumers; 
Whereas the customs, values, and traditions of African Amer-
icans, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, and other un-
derserved groups, must be taken into consideration when 
attempting to treat and diagnose mental disorders; 
Whereas minority mental health consumers often fall into the 
category of the ‘‘working poor’’, face additional chal-
lenges because of the lack of adequate insurance available 
to them, and are underinsured or uninsured, which often 
leads to the late diagnosis of a mental disorder or the 
failure to make such a diagnosis; 
Whereas community mobilization of resources is needed to 
educate, advocate, and train mental health providers in 
order to help to remove barriers to treatment of mental 
disorders; 
Whereas there is a need to strengthen local and national 
awareness of brain diseases in order to assist with advo-
cacy for mentally ill persons of color, so that such per-
sons may receive adequate and appropriate treatment 
that will enhance their ability to become fully functioning 
members of society; 
Whereas the late Bebe Moore Campbell, a New York Times 
best-selling author, co-founder of NAMI Urban Los An-
geles, mother, grandmother, wife, friend, and advocate, 
was recognized for her tireless fight to bring awareness 
and attention to mental illness among minorities with the 
release of her novel, ‘‘72 Hour Hold’’, and her children’s 
book, ‘‘Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry’’, which 
brings awareness to the plight of those with brain dis-
orders; and 
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•HCON 86 IH 
Whereas Bebe Moore Campbell’s dedication and commitment 
sought to move communities to support mental wellness 
through effective treatment options, supportive commu-
nity outreach, and resilience for the many individuals 
with mental disorders who are unable to speak for them-
selves: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) access to mental health treatment and serv-
ices and public awareness of mental illness is of 
paramount importance; 
(2) improved access to such treatment and serv-
ices and improved public awareness of mental illness 
is especially needed in minority communities; and 
(3) an appropriate month should be recognized 
as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental 
Health Awareness Month to enhance public aware-
ness of mental illness, especially within such minor-
ity communities. 
Æ 
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