Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions - S. 2215
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. DeWine, Mrs. Clinton, and Mr. Smith):
S. 2215. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide funds for campus mental and behavioral health service centers; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Campus Care and Counseling Act along with my colleague from Ohio, Senator DeWine, my colleague from Oregon, Senator Smith and my colleague from New York, Senator Clinton. The recent rash of suicides on college campuses has highlighted a mental health crisis. Just this past week, Diana Chien, a 19 year old student at New York University ended her life by jumping off a building. Our own colleagues, the Senator from Oregon, suffered a tragic loss when his son, Garret, took his life last September. Suicides take the lives of over 4,000 children and young adults annually. It is now the third leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds. The rate of suicide has tripled from 1952 to 1995. How many more of our children will be lost before we take action to prevent their untimely demise? When will we start to say to them that there is an answer; that suicide is not the way out; that we can help them feel better; that they can live happier and healthier lives?
College is a time of great intellectual development-and it is also a time of exponential personal and interpersonal growth and change. When children go off to college, we need to be sure that they are going to a place that will help them reach their boundless potential. We also need to make sure that it will also support them through the transition to adulthood and during their greatest hour of need. Additionally, many more adults are going to college, and they too face challenges, particularly in balancing school, work, and family responsibilities. We can and should do more to address the significant lack in this area.
A Chronicle of Higher Education survey found that rates for depression in college freshmen have nearly doubled from 8.2 percent to 16.3 percent. Without treatment, the Chronicle reports that "depressed adolescents are at risk for school failure, social isolation, promiscuity, self-medication with drugs and alcohol, and suicide." A 2003 Gallagher's Survey of Counseling Center Directors found that 85 percent of college counseling centers are reporting an increase in the number of students in need of services, 81 percent were concerned about increasing numbers of students with severe psychological problems, 67 percent reported a need for more psychiatric services, and 6.3 percent reported problems with growing demand for services without an appropriate increase in resources. Clearly, many students with serious needs do not have access to psychiatric or other mental and behavioral health services.
This is an issue that my office has been working on with the American Psychological Association since 2002. In light of the forthcoming debate on the Higher Education Act Reauthorization and the recent spate of college campus suicides, I am introducing the "Campus Care and Counseling Act." This bill amends the Higher Education Act to authorize $10 million in peer-reviewed competitive grants to institutions of higher education to increase access and enhance mental and behavioral health services for our college students. Grants may be used for the prevention, screening, early intervention, assessment, treatment, management, and education activities related to mental and behavioral health problems. Taking into consideration that education creates awareness, these funds may also be used to educate parents, to hire staff, and to expand training. To address the stigma of mental illness, programs funded through this grant will need to focus their efforts on developing outreach strategies to reach those students most in need of services.
My colleagues in the Senate, this is an important bipartisan measure which will help to ensure that our nation's college students will have access to quality mental and behavioral health care so that they receive the help needed to not only survive through their difficult times in college, but also to excel and accomplish all that is within their reach. I want to also thank the American Psychiatric Association and other organizations for their assistance in shaping this legislation. I urge my colleagues to join myself and Senators DEWINE and SMITH in enacting this important legislation.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this legislation be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 2215
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 "Campus Care and Counseling Act".
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) In a recent report, a startling 85 percent of college counseling centers revealed an increase in the number of students they see with psychological problems. Furthermore, the American College Health Association found that 61 percent of college students reported feeling hopeless, 45 percent said they felt so depressed they could barely function, and 9 percent felt suicidal.
(2) There is clear evidence of an increased incidence of depression among college students. According to a survey described in the Chronicle of Higher Education (February 1, 2002), depression among freshmen has nearly doubled (from 8.2 percent to 16.3 percent). Without treatment, researchers recently noted that "depressed adolescents are at risk for school failure, social isolation, promiscuity, self medication with drugs and alcohol, and suicide-now the third leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds.".
(3) Researchers who conducted the study "Changes in Counseling Center Client Problems Across 13 Years" (1989-2001) at Kansas State University stated that "students are experiencing more stress, more anxiety, more depression than they were a decade ago." (The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 14, 2003).
(4) According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 20 percent of full-time undergraduate college students use illicit drugs.
(5) The 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse also reported that 18.4 percent of adults aged 18 to 24 are dependent on or abusing illicit drugs or alcohol. In addition, the study found that "serious mental illness is highly correlated with substance dependence or abuse. Among adults with serious mental illness in 2001, 20.3 percent were dependent on or abused alcohol or illicit drugs, while the rate among adults without serious mental illness was only 6.3 percent.".
(6) A 2003 Gallagher's Survey of Counseling Center Directors found that 81 percent were concerned about the increasing number of students with more serious psychological problems, 67 percent reported a need for more psychiatric services, and 63 percent reported problems with growing demand for services without an appropriate increase in resources.
(7) The International Association of Counseling Services accreditation standards recommend 1 counselor per 1,000 to 1,500 students. According to the 2003 Gallagher's Survey of Counseling Center Directors, the ratio of counselors to students is as high as 1 counselor per 2,400 students at institutions of higher education with more than 15,000 students.
SEC. 3. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON CAMPUS.
Part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1011 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 120 the following:
"SEC. 120A. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON CAMPUS.
"(a) PURPOSE.-It is the purpose of this section to increase access to, and enhance the range of, mental and behavioral health
services for students so as to ensure that college students have the support necessary to successfully complete their studies.
"(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.-From funds appropriated under subsection (j), the Secretary shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to create or expand mental and behavioral health services to students at such institutions, to provide such services, and to develop best practices for the delivery of such services. Such grants shall, subject to the availability of such appropriations, be for a period of 3 years.
"© ELIGIBLE GRANT RECIPIENTS.-Any institution of higher education that seeks to provide, or provides, mental and behavioral health services to students is eligible to apply, on behalf of such institution's treatment provider, for a grant under this section. Treatment providers may include entities such as-
"(1) college counseling centers;
"(2) college and university psychological service centers;
"(3) mental health centers;
"(4) psychology training clinics;
"(5) institution of higher education supported, evidence-based, mental health and substance abuse screening programs; and
"(6) any other entity that provides mental and behavioral health services to students at an institution of higher education.
"(d) APPLICATIONS.-Each institution of higher education seeking to obtain a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary. Each such application shall include-
"(1) a description of identified mental and behavioral health needs of students at the institution of higher education;
"(2) a description of currently available Federal, State, local, private, and institutional resources to address the needs described in paragraph (1) at the institution of higher education;
"(3) an outline of program objectives and anticipated program outcomes, including an explanation of how the treatment provider at the institution of higher education will coordinate activities under this section with existing programs and services;
"(4) the anticipated impact of funds provided under this section in improving the mental and behavioral health of students attending the institution of higher education;
"(5) outreach strategies, including ways in which the treatment provider at the institution of higher education proposes to reach students, promote access to services, and address the range of needs of students;
"(6) a proposed plan for reaching those students most in need of services;
"(7) a plan to evaluate program outcomes and assess the services provided with funds under this section; and
"(8) such additional information as is required by the Secretary.
"(e) PEER REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.-
"(1) PANEL.-The Secretary shall provide the applications submitted under this section to a peer review panel for evaluation. With respect to each application, the peer review panel shall recommend the application for funding or for disapproval.
"(2) COMPOSITION OF PANEL.-
"(A) IN GENERAL.-The peer review panel shall be composed of-
"(i) experts who are competent, by virtue of their training, expertise, or experience, to evaluate applications for grants under this section; and
"(ii) mental and behavioral health professionals and higher education professionals.
"(B) NON-FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.-A majority of the members of the peer review panel shall be individuals who are not employees of the Federal Government.
"(3) EVALUATION AND PRIORITY.-The peer review panel shall-
"(A) evaluate the applicant's proposal to improve current and future mental and behavioral health at the institution of higher education; and
"(B) give priority in recommending applications for funding to proposals that-
"(i) provide direct service to students, as described in subsection (f)(1);
"(ii) improve the mental and behavioral health of students at institutions of higher education with a counselor to student ratio greater than 1 to 1,500; or
"(iii) will best serve students based on the projected impact of the proposal on mental and behavioral health at the institution of higher education as well as the level of coordination of other resources to aid in the improvement of mental and behavioral health.
"(f) USE OF FUNDS.-Funds provided by a grant under this section may be used for 1 or more of the following activities:
"(1) Prevention, screening, early intervention, assessment, treatment, management, and education of mental and behavioral health problems of students enrolled at the institution of higher education.
"(2) Education of families to increase awareness of potential mental and behavioral health issues of students enrolled at the institution of higher education.
"(3) Hiring appropriately trained staff, including administrative staff.
"(4) Strengthening and expanding mental and behavioral health training opportunities in internship and residency programs, such as psychology doctoral and post-doctoral training.
"(5) Supporting the use of evidence-based and emerging best practices.
"(6) Evaluating and disseminating outcomes of mental and behavioral health services so as to provide information and training to other mental and behavioral health entities around the Nation that serve students enrolled in institutions of higher education.
"(g) ADDITIONAL REQUIRED ELEMENTS.-Each institution of higher education that receives a grant under this section shall-
"(1) provide annual reports to the Secretary describing the use of funds, the program's objectives, and how the objectives were
met, including a description of program outcomes;
"(2) perform such additional evaluation as the Secretary may require, which may include measures such as-
"(A) increase in range of services provided;
"(B) increase in the quality of services provided;
"© increase in access to services;
"(D) college continuation rates;
"(E) decrease in college dropout rates; and
"(F) increase in college graduation rates; and
"(3) coordinate such institution's program under this section with other related efforts on campus by entities concerned with the mental, health, and behavioral health needs of students.
"(h) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.-Grant funds provided under this section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, Federal and non-Federal funds available for carrying out the activities described in this section.
"(i) LIMITATIONS.-
"(1) PERCENTAGE LIMITATIONS.-Not more than-
"(A) 5 percent of grant funds received under this section shall be used for administrative costs; and
"(B) 20 percent of grant funds received under this section shall be used for training costs.
"(2) PROHIBITION ON USE FOR CONSTRUCTION OR RENOVATION.-Grant funds received under this section shall not be
used for construction or renovation of facilities or buildings.
"(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.-There are authorized to be appropriated for grants under this section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2005 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.".