42 U.S.C. § 290ee–4 — Mental and behavioral health outreach and education at institutions of higher education

(a) Purpose This section aims to increase access to mental health services, and reduce the stigma around them, so that college students have the support they need to finish their studies. (b) National public education campaign The Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary and working with the CDC Director, must convene an interagency, public-private working group to plan, establish, and begin coordinating and evaluating a targeted public education campaign focused on mental and behavioral health at colleges. The campaign must be designed to: (1) improve general understanding of mental health and mental disorders; (2) encourage help-seeking behaviors around promoting mental health, and preventing and treating mental disorders; (3) connect mental and behavioral health to academic success; and (4) help the public identify early warning signs and reduce the stigma of mental illness. (c) Composition The working group must include: (1) mental health consumers, including students and family members; (2) representatives of colleges, including minority-serving institutions and community colleges; (3) representatives of national mental and behavioral health associations and college associations; (4) representatives of health promotion and prevention organizations at colleges; (5) representatives of mental health providers, including community mental health centers; and (6) representatives of private- and public-sector groups experienced in developing effective public health education campaigns. (d) Plan The working group must develop a plan that: (1) targets promotional and educational efforts at college-age students and people employed at colleges, including through roundtables; (2) develops and proposes research-based public health messages and activities; (3) supports local stigma-reduction efforts by using the National Health Information Center as a primary point of contact for information, publications, and service referrals; and (4) develops and proposes a social marketing campaign targeted at college students and campus employees. (e) Definition "Institution of higher education" has the meaning given in 20 U.S.C. § 1001. (f) Authorization of appropriations Congress authorized $1,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.