§ 290ee–4 — Mental And Behavioral Health Outreach And Education At Institutions Of Higher Education

(a) It is the purpose of this section to increase access to, and reduce the stigma associated with, mental health services to ensure that students at institutions of higher education have the support necessary to successfully complete their studies. (b) The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary and in collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall convene an interagency, public-private sector working group to plan, establish, and begin coordinating and evaluating a targeted public education campaign that is designed to focus on mental and behavioral health on the campuses of institutions of higher education. Such campaign shall be designed to— (1) improve the general understanding of mental health and mental disorders; (2) encourage help-seeking behaviors relating to the promotion of mental health, prevention of mental disorders, and treatment of such disorders; (3) make the connection between mental and behavioral health and academic success; and (4) assist the general public in identifying the early warning signs and reducing the stigma of mental illness. (c) The working group convened under subsection (b) shall include— (1) mental health consumers, including students and family members; (2) representatives of institutions of higher education, including minority-serving institutions as described in section 1067q(a) of title 20 and community colleges; (3) representatives of national mental and behavioral health associations and associations of institutions of higher education; (4) representatives of health promotion and prevention organizations at institutions of higher education; (5) representatives of mental health providers, including community mental health centers; and (6) representatives of private-sector and public-sector groups with experience in the development of effective public health education campaigns. (d) The working group under subsection (b) shall develop a plan that— (1) targets promotional and educational efforts to the age population of students at institutions of higher education and individuals who are employed in settings of institutions of higher education, including through the use of roundtables; (2) develops and proposes the implementation of research-based public health messages and activities; (3) provides support for local efforts to reduce stigma by using the National Health Information Center as a primary point of contact for information, publications, and service program referrals; and (4) develops and proposes the implementation of a social marketing campaign that is targeted at the population of students attending institutions of higher education and individuals who are employed in settings of institutions of higher education. (e) In this section, the term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given such term in section 1001 of title 20. (f) To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.