Mental Health for Latinos Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.2529 | Sponsor: Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. (D-CA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Mental Health for Latinos Act of 2021
This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop and implement an outreach and education strategy regarding behavioral health issues among the Hispanic and Latino populations.
The strategy must promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorders. The strategy must also address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental and behavioral health of those populations.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a behavioral and 
    mental health outreach and education strategy to reduce stigma 
associated with mental health among the Hispanic and Latino population, 
                        and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mental Health for Latinos Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. HISPANIC AND LATINO BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND 
              EDUCATION STRATEGY.

    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 new section:

``SEC. 553. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 
              STRATEGY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary, shall, in coordination with advocacy and behavioral and 
mental health organizations serving populations of Hispanic and Latino 
individuals or communities, develop and implement an outreach and 
education strategy to promote behavioral and mental health and reduce 
stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance abuse 
among the Hispanic and Latino populations. Such strategy shall--
            ``(1) be designed to--
                    ``(A) meet the diverse cultural and language needs 
                of the various Hispanic and Latino populations; and
                    ``(B) be developmentally and age-appropriate;
            ``(2) increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses 
        common among such populations, taking into account differences 
        within subgroups, such as gender, gender identity, age, sexual 
        orientation, or ethnicity, of such populations;
            ``(3) provide information on evidence-based, culturally and 
        linguistically appropriate and adapted interventions and 
        treatments;
            ``(4) ensure full participation of, and engage, both 
        consumers and community members in the development and 
        implementation of materials;
            ``(5) seek to broaden the perspective among both 
        individuals in these communities and stakeholders serving these 
        communities to use a comprehensive public health approach to 
        promoting behavioral health that addresses a holistic view of 
        health by focusing on the intersection between behavioral and 
        physical health; and
            ``(6) address the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the 
        mental and behavioral health of the Hispanic and Latino 
        populations.
    ``(b) Reports.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Secretary, 
acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall submit to Congress, and 
make publicly available, a report on the extent to which the strategy 
developed and implemented under subsection (a) improved behavioral and 
mental health outcomes associated with mental health conditions and 
substance abuse among Hispanic and Latino populations.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $1,000,000 for fiscal year 
2022.''.
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