Asian American, African American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and North African, and Hispanic and Latino behavioral health outreach and education strategy

Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.), as amended by section 6203, is amended by adding at the end the following: 556. Behavioral outreach and education strategy (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall, in coordination with advocacy and behavioral organizations serving populations of Asian American, African American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, Middle Eastern and North African (in this section referred to as MENA), and Hispanic and Latino/a/x individuals or communities, develop and implement an outreach and education strategy to promote behavioral health, emphasize that behavioral health conditions are treatable and that reasonable accommodations under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are necessary and may help, as well as reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorder among the Asian American, African American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, MENA, and Hispanic and Latino/a/x populations. Such strategy shall— (1) be designed to— (A) meet the diverse cultural and language needs of the various Asian American, African American, Indigenous, MENA, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Hispanic and Latino/a/x populations; and (B) ensure that approaches recommended in the strategy are developmentally (with respect to the beneficiary’s relative age and experience) and age appropriate, as well as cognitively accessible to persons with cognitive disabilities; (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, disability, and 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 representing the communities of focus in the development and implementation of materials; and (5) seek to broaden the perspective among both individuals in such communities and stakeholders serving such 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. (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 the Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the extent to which the strategy developed and implemented under subsection (a) increased behavioral health outcomes associated with mental health conditions and substance use disorder among Asian American, African American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Indigenous, MENA, and Hispanic and Latino/a/x populations. (c) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032..