BILL ANALYSIS �
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
ACR 163 (Ridley-Thomas)
As Introduced June 17, 2014
Majority vote
RULES 11-0
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|Ayes:|Gordon, Wilk, Brown, |
| |Ch�vez, Dababneh, |
| |Gonzalez, Hagman, |
| |Nazarian, Quirk, |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Waldron |
| | |
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SUMMARY : Proclaims July 2014 as Bebe Moore Campbell National
Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in California to enhance
public awareness of mental illness among minorities.
Specifically, this resolution makes the following legislative
findings:
1)Mental illness is one of the leading causes of disabilities in
the United States, affecting one out of every four families;
and, serious mental illness costs Americans approximately
$193.2 billion in lost earnings each year.
2)Fifty-seven million Americans have a mental disorder in any
given year, with fewer than 40% of adults living with a mental
illness, and a little more than one-half of youth eight to 15
years of age, inclusive, with a mental illness receiving
mental health services in the last year.
3)According to the California Reducing Disparities Projects
reports, minorities; including African Americans, Latinos,
Native Americans, and Asian Pacific Islanders receive less
care, poorer quality of care, and often lack access to
culturally competent care, thereby resulting in mental health
care disparities.
4)Communities of color are in need of culturally competent
mental health resources and the training of all health care
providers to serve multiethnic patients; and, advocates for
traditional mental health organizations must be encouraged to
incorporate and integrate minority mental health education and
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outreach within their respective portfolios.
5)The three major brain diseases, schizophrenia, bipolar
disorder, and depression, adversely affect the economy,
contribute to the rise in incarceration rates, and erode the
quality of life for patients and their loved ones; and there
is a need to improve public awareness of mental illness and to
strengthen local and national awareness of brain diseases in
order to assist with advocacy for persons of color with mental
illness so that they may receive adequate and appropriate
treatment that will result in their becoming fully functioning
members of society.
6)Bebe Moore Campbell, an advocate and co-founder of the
National Alliance on Mental Illness Urban Los Angeles, through
her dedication and commitment, sought to move communities to
support mental wellness through effective treatment options,
to provide open access to mental health treatment and
services, and to improve community outreach and support for
the many loved ones who are unable to speak for themselves.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
Analysis Prepared by : Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800
FN: 0004171