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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pursuing Equity in 
Mental Health Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
TITLE I—HEALTH EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY 
Sec. 101. Integrated Health Care Demonstration Program. 
Sec. 102. Addressing racial and ethnic minority mental health disparities re-
search gaps. 
Sec. 103. Health professions competencies to address racial and ethnic minority 
mental health disparities. 
Sec. 104. Racial and ethnic minority behavioral and mental health outreach and 
education strategy. 
Sec. 105. Additional funds for National Institutes of Health. 
Sec. 106. Additional funds for National Institute on Minority Health and 
Health Disparities. 
TITLE II—OTHER PROVISIONS 
Sec. 201. Reauthorization of Minority Fellowship Program. 
Sec. 202. Study on the Effects of Smartphone and Social Media Use on Adoles-
cents. 
Sec. 203. Technical correction. 
TITLE I—HEALTH EQUITY AND 
ACCOUNTABILITY 
SEC. 101. INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE DEMONSTRATION 
PROGRAM. 
Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 554. INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE TEAMS FOR 
PROVISION OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 
IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award grants to 
eligible entities for the purpose of establishing interprofes-
sional health care teams that provide behavioral health 
care. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under this section, an entity shall be a Federally 
qualified health center (as defined in section 1861(aa) of 
the Social Security Act), rural health clinic, or behavioral 
health program, serving a high proportion of individuals 
from racial and ethnic minority groups (as defined in sec-
tion 1707(g)). 
‘‘(c) SCIENTIFICALLY
BASED.—Integrated health 
care funded through this section shall be scientifically 
based, taking into consideration the results of the most 
recent peer-reviewed research available. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—To 
carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro-
priated $20,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years 
following the date of enactment of the Pursuing Equity 
in Mental Health Act.’’. 
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SEC. 102. ADDRESSING RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY 
MENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH 
GAPS. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of the National Institutes 
of Health shall enter into an arrangement with the Na-
tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 
(or, if the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
and Medicine decline to enter into such an arrangement, 
the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or another 
appropriate entity)— 
(1) to conduct a study with respect to mental 
health disparities in racial and ethnic minority 
groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g))); and 
(2) to submit to the Congress a report on the 
results of such study, including— 
(A) a compilation of information on the dy-
namics of mental disorders in such racial and 
ethnic minority groups; and 
(B) a compilation of information on the 
impact of exposure to community violence, ad-
verse childhood experiences, structural racism, 
and other psychological traumas on mental dis-
orders in such racial and minority groups. 
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SEC. 103. HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMPETENCIES TO AD-
DRESS RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MEN-
TAL HEALTH DISPARITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall award grants to qualified national 
organizations for the purposes of— 
(1) developing, and disseminating to health pro-
fessional educational programs best practices or core 
competencies addressing mental health disparities 
among racial and ethnic minority groups for use in 
the training of students in the professions of social 
work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family 
therapy, mental health counseling, and substance 
misuse counseling; and 
(2) certifying community health workers and 
peer wellness specialists with respect to such best 
practices and core competencies and integrating and 
expanding the use of such workers and specialists 
into health care to address mental health disparities 
among racial and ethnic minority groups. 
(b) BEST PRACTICES; CORE COMPETENCIES.—Orga-
nizations receiving funds under subsection (a) may use the 
funds to engage in the following activities related to the 
development and dissemination of best practices or core 
competencies described in subsection (a)(1): 
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(1) Formation of committees or working groups 
comprised of experts from accredited health profes-
sions schools to identify best practices and core com-
petencies relating to mental health disparities among 
racial and ethnic minority groups. 
(2) Planning of workshops in national fora to 
allow for public input into the educational needs as-
sociated with mental health disparities among racial 
and ethnic minority groups. 
(3) Dissemination and promotion of the use of 
best practices or core competencies in undergraduate 
and graduate health professions training programs 
nationwide. 
(4) Establishing external stakeholder advisory 
boards to provide meaningful input into policy and 
program development and best practices to reduce 
mental health disparities among racial and ethnic 
minority groups. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) QUALIFIED NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.—The 
term ‘‘qualified national organization’’ means a na-
tional organization that focuses on the education of 
students in one or more of the professions of social 
work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family 
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