Rep. Watson Coleman Reintroduces Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) announced the reintroduction of the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act; legislation that addresses the mental health crisis facing our youth through funding to support research, improves the pipeline of culturally competent providers, builds outreach programs that reduce stigma, and develops a training program for providers to effectively manage disparities. The legislation was originally introduced in 2019 following a report - “Ring the Alarm: the Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America” - from the Congressional Black Caucus’s Emergency Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health, chaired by Congresswoman Watson Coleman. A companion bill has been introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.
“Across the country, there is a crisis of despair afflicting too many of our young people,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “This crisis is most pronounced in communities of color, where access to mental health resources is often kept out of reach. My bill would provide necessary investments in mental health support services to face this crisis head-on. These young people are the future of our country, and we have an obligation to provide them with the support they need to live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives. I’m grateful for the support of Senator Hirono on a companion bill, and strongly urge Congress to take up and pass this legislation.”
“While mental health challenges affect us all, communities of color are often disproportionately impacted and lack access to the resources needed to overcome these challenges,” said Senator Hirono. “By authorizing funding to support clinical research, establish a national education and outreach strategy to reduce mental health stigma, and develop culturally-competent training for primary care providers, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act will help to improve access to mental health care for minorities. I am proud to lead the introduction of this critical bill with Congresswoman Watson Coleman and will continue working to ensure that every community can access the mental health care they need and deserve.”
The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act would authorize $995 million in grants and other funding to support research and improve the quality and accessibility of mental healthcare.
This bill:
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Authorizes $750 million annually for 5 years for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
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Authorizes $150 million annually over 5 years for the National Institute of Health to build relations with communities and support clinical research, including on racial or ethnic disparities in physical and mental health
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Authorizes $15 million annually over 5 years for the Department of Health and Human Services to develop an outreach and education strategy to promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance abuse among minority groups
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Updates the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Grant Program to ensure that special consideration is given to serving a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority groups. This program will also be reauthorized from fiscal year 2024 through 2029 at $80 million annually.
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Amends Section 597 of the Public Health Service Act to allow funds to be used to promote best practices or core competencies addressing mental health disparities among racial and ethnic minority groups for training students in the behavioral health field.
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Directs the National Institutes of Health to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine or another body to study mental health disparities in racial and ethnic minority groups and submit the result to Congress
In 2018, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics published a report that the suicide rate of Black children between the ages of 5 and 12 has exceeded that of White children, and more than ? of elementary school-aged suicides involved Black children. In 2019, a study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Journal, “Pediatrics,” found that self-reported suicide attempts increased in Black teenagers as they fell in other groups. The data also showed that these attempts rose to 73% between 1997 and 2017. The Emergency Taskforce aims to identify causes and solutions while working with academic and practicing experts led by the AAP Pediatrics study’s lead author, Dr. Michael A. Lindsey, Executive Director of the NYU McSilver Institute of Poverty Policy and Research.
The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act is endorsed by the Defensive Line, McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, National Black Justice Coalition, Promly, Sandy Hook Promise, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, Soul Survivors of Chicago, and Wise Chipmunk.
“Our nation’s youth are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis that demands immediate action. The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act is a critical step forward to expand access to mental healthcare and suicide prevention initiatives so that young people, particularly in marginalized communities, can receive the help they need. This legislation will not only save lives but transform them for the better. We celebrate Congresswoman Watson Coleman for bringing this bill forward, and call on Congress to save young lives by passing this into law,” said Mark Barden, co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund, and father of Daniel, who was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.
"Soul Survivors of Chicago understands well the devastating consequences wrought by inequities in mental health care,” said Rafiah Maxie-Cole, Founder and Executive Director of Soul Survivors Chicago. “Supporting the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act comes very personally to us; it constitutes a mission both to honor those lost and to rally for some form of accessible and compassionate care for all. This Act is not simply a piece of legislation; it is a lifeline for those communities that have been underserved and overlooked for far too long. Together, we can work toward a future where mental health equity is more than an aspiration-it is a reality"
“The COVID-19 and Long COVID pandemics—combined with the onslaught of federal and state laws stigmatizing and attacking Black and LGBTQ+/same-gender loving (SGL) people and families, especially those of us living at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities—have deepened the mental health challenges in communities already lacking access to culturally competent mental health care,” said Victoria Kirby York, Director of Public Policy and Programs at NBJC. “New solutions and ideas to improve and expand access are needed despite the White House’s actions to gut programs created under the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, as well as other critical programs. NBJC applauds U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman for re-introducing the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act, which would establish and expand programs that address racial and ethnic disparities in mental health. This includes requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to establish interprofessional behavioral healthcare teams in areas with a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority groups. We must ensure all Americans have access to mental health care that meets their needs without prejudice.”
“As a young person, I see firsthand how mental health challenges—especially among youth of color—are too often ignored or misunderstood,” said Ayaan Moledina, Federal Policy Director, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). “The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act is about closing those gaps, investing in culturally competent care, and making sure that every young person, no matter their background, gets the support they need to thrive. Mental health isn’t one-size-fits-all, and this bill recognizes that. It reflects the realities we live with—things like racism, intergenerational trauma, and systemic inequality. Young people are tired of seeing our friends struggle in silence, tired of hearing that there’s no help available, and tired of systems that don’t see us or hear us. Thank you to Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman for her steadfast work in support of equity and mental health. Her work to uplift youth voices when developing policies affecting our everyday lives is inspiring and we hope Congress leads by her example.”
The full text of the bill can be found here.