Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act

This bill aims to close mental health gaps for youth, especially youth of color, by boosting care in communities, funding research, training health workers, and launching outreach to reduce stigma. It is called the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act.

It would expand grants for clinics that combine primary care and mental health care, with special consideration for providers serving many racial and ethnic minority patients, and set funding at $60 million in FY 2025 and $80 million each year from FY 2026–2031 for this program. It directs a national study on where research is missing, including how community violence, adverse childhood experiences, and structural bias affect mental health, with a backup plan if the first research partner declines. It supports training across fields like social work, psychology, and counseling to spread best practices through expert groups, public workshops, and advisory boards. It also requires a culturally and age-appropriate outreach and education strategy to promote mental health and reduce stigma in racial and ethnic minority communities, with annual public reports for five years and $20 million per year from FY 2026–2031. Finally, it adds $150 million per year for FY 2026–2031 to the National Institutes of Health for community-engaged clinical research and youth mental health priorities, and $750 million per year for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities over the same period.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Youth and families, especially in racial and ethnic minority communities; local clinics; mental health and social service professionals .
• What changes: More funding for integrated care; a national study on gaps; new training and best practices; community outreach to reduce stigma; annual progress reports .
• When: Grant levels change in FY 2025; major funding and outreach run FY 2026–2031; annual reports start within one year of enactment and continue for five years .