S 2752
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2752
To authorize the President to award grants to improve the capacity
of nongovernmental organizations and individuals in foreign countries
to provide appropriate mental disability and mental trauma care training,
and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 12, 2008
Mr. SMITH (for himself and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
A BILL
To authorize the President to award grants to improve the capacity
of nongovernmental organizations and individuals in foreign countries
to provide appropriate mental disability and mental trauma care training,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `International Mental Disability and Mental
Trauma Care Improvement Act of 2008'.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to promote the capacity of recipient nongovernmental
organizations to provide appropriate mental disability and mental trauma
care training for providers on a national, regional, and local level
abroad.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The efforts of the United States to promote democracy and human
rights abroad must include vigorous efforts to improve treatment of
those with mental disabilities and mental trauma.
(2) The World Health Report 2001, published by the World Health Organization,
reported that approximately 450,000,000 people worldwide experience
a mental disorder.
(3) War, conflict, and dictatorial regimes around the world have also
created tens of thousands of victims of violence, rape, torture, and
forced relocation who suffer from mental trauma.
(4) Mental disability and mental trauma care resources are sufficiently
scarce in developed and developing countries that national care giving
practices are often antiquated and underfunded.
(5) The World Health Organization reports that--
(A) about 50 percent of mental disorders begin before the sufferer
reaches 14 years of age;
(B) about 20 percent of the children and adolescents of the world
are estimated to have a mental disorder; and
(C) regions of the world in which a high percentage of the population
is under 19 years of age have the lowest amount of mental disability
care resources.
(6) There is tremendous inequity in the worldwide distribution of
skilled human resources for mental disability and mental trauma care.
A shortage of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and
social workers continues to be a significant barrier to the provision
of treatment and care in low- and middle-income countries.
(7) In much of the world, there are immense obstacles to full participation
in society by people who suffer from a mental disability or have experienced
mental trauma.
(8) The World Health Organization reports that stigma about mental
disorders and discrimination against patients and families can prevent
people from seeking care.
(9) Social stigma and a lack of resources can often result in the
inappropriate institutionalization and effective segregation from
society of large numbers of people with mental disabilities or mental
trauma, often under appalling conditions.
(10) Such inappropriate institutionalization does not represent `best-practice'
mental disability and mental trauma care methods and is often an unacceptable
violation of human rights standards.
SEC. 4. MENTAL DISABILITY AND MENTAL TRAUMA CARE QUALITY AND CAPACITY
IMPROVEMENT GRANTS.
Chapter 1 of Part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2151 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 104C the following:
`SEC. 104D. ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE MENTAL DISABILITY AND MENTAL TRAUMA
CARE.
`(a) Grants to Nongovernmental Organizations and Individuals Specializing
in Mental Disability and Mental Trauma Treatment, Training, Policy,
and Research-
`(1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED- The President is authorized to award grants
to nongovernmental organizations (including faith-based and community-based
organizations) and individuals--
`(A) to provide training, advice, and technical expertise for foreign
governments in the adoption of a national mental disability and
mental trauma care framework;
`(B) to initiate system reform and improve treatment options, access
to, and quality of mental disability and mental trauma care;
`(C) to provide training for governmental, nongovernmental, professional,
community, peer, and family mental disability and mental trauma
care providers; or
`(D) to provide direct, short-term emergency mental trauma assistance
for the victims of humanitarian or political crises.
`(2) ELIGIBILITY- To the maximum extent practicable, amounts shall
be provided to applicants that--
`(A) have a proven record of providing mental disability and mental
trauma technical advice, emergency care, or support, whether directly
or through linkages with other programs; and
`(B) employ recognized and evidence-based best practices for assisting
individuals with mental disability conditions.
`(3) APPLICATION- Each organization desiring a grant under this section
shall submit an application to the President at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information and assurances as the
President may require.
`(b) Authorization of Appropriations- There is authorized to be appropriated
to the President for the purposes of this section, in addition to funds
otherwise available for such purposes, not less than $10,000,000 for
the fiscal year 2009 and each subsequent fiscal year, to be made available
through the Secretary of State, acting through the Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development.'.
SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT ON THE CONDITION OF MENTAL DISABILITY AND MENTAL
TRAUMA CARE.
Section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b-2(d))
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (10), by striking `and' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (11), by striking the period at the end and inserting
`; and'; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
`(12) wherever applicable, mental disability and mental trauma care
practices in countries receiving assistance under section 104D and
in all other foreign jurisdictions, including--
`(A) the extent of contact of mental disability and mental trauma
care patients with their home communities;
`(B) the freedom granted mental disability and mental trauma care
patients to socialize with each other and with nonpatients;
`(C) the national government's record of forced institutionalization,
and the review process for institutionalized mental disability and
mental trauma care patients;
`(D) the average ratio between patients and staff;
`(E) the employment of evaluation and follow up of treatment efficacy;
`(F) the national spending on mental disability and mental trauma
care;
`(G) activities implemented or improved that address the provision
of services for mental disability and mental trauma conditions;
and
`(H) the inclusion of mental disability and mental trauma care into
the public health agenda and national health plans and programs.'.
END
