Title: Expressing support for the designation of May 10, 2021, as "National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day" and acknowledging the importance of raising awareness of mental health and improving the quality of mental health services for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.
Policy area: Health

Summary:
This resolution supports the designation of National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 373 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 373

 Expressing support for the designation of May 10, 2021, as ``National 
  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health 
 Day'' and acknowledging the importance of raising awareness of mental 
  health and improving the quality of mental health services for the 
    Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 7, 2021

   Ms. Chu (for herself, Ms. Strickland, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Kahele, Mr. 
 Lowenthal, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Takano, Mrs. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Smith 
of Washington, and Ms. Meng) submitted the following resolution; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for the designation of May 10, 2021, as ``National 
  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health 
 Day'' and acknowledging the importance of raising awareness of mental 
  health and improving the quality of mental health services for the 
    Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.

Whereas the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) 
        community is among the fastest growing population groups in the United 
        States and has made significant economic, cultural, and social 
        contributions;
Whereas the AANHPI community is extremely diverse in terms of socioeconomic 
        levels, education, employment, language, national origin, acculturation, 
        immigration, and colonization status;
Whereas celebrating one's cultural heritage and having access to culturally and 
        linguistically competent care is important to mental health and 
        wellness;
Whereas 76 percent of the estimated 2,300,000 AANHPIs who meet criteria for a 
        mental health problem do not receive treatment and have among the lowest 
        rates of utilization of mental health services out of any racial 
        population;
Whereas suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, but in 
        2019, Asian/Pacific Islander youth ages 15 to 24 years old were the only 
        racial/ethnic population in this age category whose leading cause of 
        death was suicide;
Whereas it is imperative to disaggregate AANHPI population data to get an 
        accurate representation of the depth and breadth of the mental health 
        issues impacting each subpopulation so that specific culturally and 
        linguistically appropriate solutions can be developed;
Whereas language continues to be a critical issue, whether due to the limited 
        number of providers with the necessary language skills to provide in-
        language services or the significant language loss faced by the Native 
        Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community due to colonization;
Whereas there is a need to significantly increase the number of providers, 
        including paraprofessionals representing the AANHPI community, and 
        provide them with the necessary training and ongoing support;
Whereas 1 in 3 Asian Americans who have been diagnosed with depression are 
        unable to see a doctor due to high health care costs;
Whereas skyrocketing rates of anti-Asian harassment and violence during the 
        COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the additional layers of hate directed 
        toward women and elders of Asian descent, contribute to the 
        deterioration of mental health for the Asian-American community;
Whereas, in the past two years, 78 percent of Asian-American and Pacific 
        Islander (AAPI) women have been affected by anti-Asian racism, with more 
        than half personally encountering specific incidences of racism and 
        nearly one-third of AAPI women indicating that the COVID-19 pandemic 
        caused their mental health to deteriorate;
Whereas historical discrimination and current racial violence toward the AANHPI 
        community increases trauma and stress, underlying precursors to mental 
        health problems;
Whereas understanding this history of discrimination and ongoing trauma is 
        essential to improving mental health care for the AANHPI population;
Whereas there is a critical need to raise awareness about and improve mental 
        health literacy among the AANHPI community to reduce the stigma 
        associated with mental health issues; and
Whereas May is both National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Mental 
        Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to celebrate the vast 
        contributions of the AANHPI community to American society and 
        acknowledge the importance of mental health and the well-being and 
        health of families and communities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National Asian American, 
        Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Mental Health Day'' to 
        remove the stigma in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and 
        Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community associated with mental 
        illness and place emphasis on access to linguistically and 
        culturally appropriate mental health service providers;
            (2) promotes national awareness of mental health issues 
        unique to the AANHPI community and strives to improve the 
        quality and availability of mental health services for this 
        population; and
            (3) encourages Federal, State, and local health agencies to 
        adopt laws, policies, and guidance to improve help-seeking 
        rates for mental health services for AANHPIs and other 
        communities of color.
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