Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act
Bill: S.1795 | Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert (D-NJ)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act
This bill establishes and expands programs to address racial and ethnic disparities in mental health.
Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to establish interprofessional behavioral health care teams in areas with a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority groups. In addition, HHS may award grants to incorporate best practices and competencies to address mental health disparities in curricula for training social workers, psychologists, and other behavioral health professionals.
HHS must also promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorder through outreach to racial and ethnic minority groups. HHS must consult with appropriate advocacy groups and behavioral health organizations to develop a strategy for this outreach.
The bill also (1) reauthorizes the minority fellowship program to support the education of mental health professionals who provide services to racial and ethnic minorities, and (2) requires studies on mental health disparities and the effects of social media use on adolescents.

To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth of color, 
                        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 ``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 research 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 
                            Adolescents.
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 inserting after section 553 of such Act (as 
redesignated and moved by section 203 of this Act) the following:

``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 interprofessional 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 
section 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 appropriated $20,000,000 for each of the 
first 5 fiscal years following the date of enactment of the Pursuing 
Equity in Mental Health Act.''.

SEC. 102. ADDRESSING RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH 
              DISPARITIES RESEARCH GAPS.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall enter into 
an arrangement with the National 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 dynamics of 
                mental disorders in such racial and ethnic minority 
                groups; and
                    (B) a compilation of information on the impact of 
                exposure to community violence, adverse childhood 
                experiences, structural racism, and other psychological 
                traumas on mental disorders in such racial and minority 
                groups.

SEC. 103. HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMPETENCIES TO ADDRESS RACIAL AND ETHNIC 
              MINORITY MENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services may 
award grants to qualified national organizations for the purposes of--
            (1) developing, and disseminating to health professional 
        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.--Organizations 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):
            (1) Formation of committees or working groups comprised of 
        experts from accredited health professions schools to identify 
        best practices and core competencies 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 associated 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 national organization that 
        focuses on the education of students in one or more of the 
        professions of social work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage 
        and family therapy, mental health counseling, and substance 
        misuse counseling.
            (2) Racial and ethnic minority group.--The term ``racial 
        and ethnic minority group'' has the meaning given to such term 
        in section 1707(g) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
        300u-6(g)).

SEC. 104. RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY 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 inserting after section 554 of such Act, as 
added by section 101 of this Act, the following:

``SEC. 555. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION 
              STRATEGY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall, in consultation with 
advocacy and behavioral and mental health organizations serving racial 
and ethnic minority groups, 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 racial and ethnic minority groups. Such strategy shall--
            ``(1) be designed to--
                    ``(A) meet the diverse cultural and language needs 
                of the various racial and ethnic minority groups; and
                    ``(B) be developmentally and age-appropriate;
            ``(2) increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses 
        common among such groups, taking into account differences 
        within at-risk subgroups;
            ``(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; and
            ``(5) seek to broaden the perspective among both 
        individuals in these groups and stakeholders serving these 
        groups 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.
    ``(b) Reports.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit to Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the 
extent to which the strategy developed and implemented under subsection 
(a) increased behavioral and mental health outcomes associated with 
mental health conditions and substance abuse among racial and ethnic 
minority groups.
    ``(c) Definition.--In this section, the term `racial and ethnic 
minority group' has the meaning given to that term in section 1707(g).
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026.''.

SEC. 105. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.

    (a) In General.--In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Institutes of Health, there is authorized 
to be appropriated to such Institutes $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026 to build relations with communities and conduct 
or support clinical research, including clinical research on racial or 
ethnic disparities in physical and mental health.
    (b) Definition.--In this section, the term ``clinical research'' 
has the meaning given to such term in section 409 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284d).

SEC. 106. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MINORITY HEALTH 
              AND HEALTH DISPARITIES.

    In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated to 
the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, there 
is authorized to be appropriated to such Institute $650,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.

                       TITLE II--OTHER PROVISIONS

SEC. 201. REAUTHORIZATION OF MINORITY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    Section 597(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
297ll(c)) is amended by striking ``$12,669,000 for each of fiscal years 
2018 through 2022'' and inserting ``$25,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026''.

SEC. 202. STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF SMARTPHONE AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON 
              ADOLESCENTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall conduct 
or support research on--
            (1) smartphone and social media use by adolescents; and
            (2) the effects of such use on--
                    (A) emotional, behavioral, and physical health and 
                development; and
                    (B) disparities in minority and underserved 
                populations.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress, and make 
publicly available, a report on the findings of research described in 
this section.

SEC. 203. TECHNICAL CORRECTION.

    Title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the second section 550 (42 U.S.C. 
        290ee-10) (relating to Sobriety Treatment And Recovery Teams) 
        as section 553; and
            (2) by moving such section, as so redesignated, so as to 
        appear after section 552 (42 U.S.C. 290ee-7).
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