Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

BILL AS INTRODUCED                                                        H.818
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                                      H.818
 Introduced by Representatives Berbeco of Winooski, Andrews of Westford,
                Anthony of Barre City, Arsenault of Williston, Black of Essex,
                Burke of Brattleboro, Buss of Woodstock, Campbell of St.
                Johnsbury, Carpenter of Hyde Park, Christie of Hartford, Cina
                of Burlington, Cole of Hartford, Cordes of Lincoln, Dodge of
                Essex, Dolan of Essex Junction, Elder of Starksboro, Farlice-
                Rubio of Barnet, Goldman of Rockingham, Graning of Jericho,
                Headrick of Burlington, Krasnow of South Burlington,
                LaBounty of Lyndon, Logan of Burlington, McCann of
                Montpelier, McFaun of Barre Town, McGill of Bridport,
                Mrowicki of Putney, Pouech of Hinesburg, Priestley of
                Bradford, Rachelson of Burlington, Stebbins of Burlington,
                Stone of Burlington, Templeman of Brownington, Torre of
                Moretown, Troiano of Stannard, Waters Evans of Charlotte, and
                Williams of Barre City
 Referred to Committee on
 Date:
 Subject: Health; mental health; climate resilience; pilot
 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to establish a
 mental wellness and climate resilience pilot program.
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    An act relating to establishing a mental wellness and climate resilience pilot
    program
 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
 Sec. 1. FINDINGS
    The General Assembly finds that:
       (1) significant weather events are increasing in Vermont, which research
 demonstrates can amplify existing anxiety and emotional problems;
       (2) a review of research on flood victims shows that they not only have
 higher rates of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, but also post-
 flooding consequences that span from economic problems, mourning and
 behavioral problems in children, increased substance use, domestic violence,
 and exacerbation of victim’s existing mental health problems;
       (3) data from 2011 to 2021 shows that the percentage of youth across
 every racial and ethnic group who felt persistently sad or helpless is increasing;
       (4) socioeconomically disadvantaged youth are two to three times more
 likely to develop mental health problems than their peers;
       (5) throughout 2022, Vermont’s mental health workforce experienced
 unprecedented rates of turnover and vacancies;
       (6) in his 2023 advisory, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The
 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection
 and Community, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called attention “to the
 importance of social connection for individual health as well as on community-
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 wide metrics of health and well-being, and conversely the significant
 consequences when social connection is lacking”;
       (7) evidence suggests that disaster-related interventions, conducted in
 collaboration with government entities, can reduce distress, enhance well-
 being, and improve functioning for affected individuals and communities;
       (8) data suggests that individuals participating in community activism
 experienced social connection with others, a sense of purpose, effecting
 change, and self-care and collective care, which while not responsible for
 positive mental health outcomes, helped to offset the stress, exhaustion, and
 guilt associated with community activism;
       (9) studies find the highest prevalence for loneliness and isolation is
 among individuals with poor physical or mental health, disabilities, financial
 insecurity, those who live alone, single parents, and younger and older
 populations; and
       (10) resilience is essentially an ongoing community learning process
 that presents an opportunity to include community members previously
 excluded from decision-making processes.
 Sec. 2. PILOT; MENTAL WELLNESS AND RESILIENCE
         COORDINATING BODY
    (a) As used in this section:
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       (1) “Behavioral health” means the broad area of mental health,
 substance use disorder, and wellness.
       (2) “Community” means persons, groups, and organizations that reside
 or work within a specific geographic area, such as a city, neighborhood, or
 subdivision, including urban, suburban, or rural locations.
       (3) “Mental wellness” means a state of well-being in which an
 individual experiences positive emotional functioning, pursues self-defined
 goals, establishes and maintains meaningful relationships, and feels a sense of
 meaning and purpose.
       (4) “Protective factors” means strengths, skills, resources, and
 characteristics that are associated with a lower likelihood of negative outcomes
 or that reduce the impact on individuals with toxic stress or traumatic
 experience.
       (5) “Public health approach” means a method that takes a population-
 level approach that is evidence-based, promising-best, or uses indigenous
 practices to promote mental wellness and resilience in a manner that prevents
 problems before they emerge, encourages intervention before problems
 become more severe, and heals problems when they appear, versus treating
 individuals one at a time after symptoms of pathology appear.
    (b) In fiscal year 2025, $100,000.00 is appropriated from the General Fund
 to the Department of Mental Health to establish a two-year pilot program that VT LEG #372863 v.2
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 awards a grant to a community-based organization that shall serve as the
 coordinating body for community-based activities that use a public health
 approach to strengthen capacity for mental wellness and resilience. These
 coordinated activities shall aim to prevent and improve mental health and
 psychosocial challenges within the entire population resulting from a wide
 range of interrelated social, economic, and environmental stresses and
 adversities.
    (c) The Department shall seek applications from community-based
 organizations to serve as the coordinating body. The successful applicant shall
 be composed of members listed in subsection (d) of this section and meet the
 qualifications listed in subsections (e) and (f) of this section.
    (d) A coordinating body for community-based activities shall contain
 representatives from at least a majority of the following entities:
       (1) a grassroots or volunteer civic organization;
       (2) a public elementary or secondary school, institution of higher
 learning, community college, job training program, or other public education
 or training agency or organization;
       (3) a youth serving organization, such as an afterschool or summer
 program;
       (4) a parental, family, or early childhood education program;
       (5) a faith or spirituality organization;
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       (6) an elder care organization;
       (7) a climate change mitigation and adaptation organization or an
 environmental conservation group or organization;
       (8) a social or environmental justice group or organization;
       (9) a disaster preparedness or emergency response group or
 organization;
       (10) a business or business association;
       (11) a public library;
       (12) a law enforcement agency, fire department, or other agency or
 organization involved with community safety, security, and the justice system;
       (13) an organization, agency, or institution in the human health and
 social services fields, such as social work; mental health; behavioral health;
 substance misuse treatment; recovery, harm reduction, and prevention;
 housing; domestic violence; physical health; and public health; and
       (14) members of the general public, including individuals who have
 experienced adverse mental health conditions who can represent and engage
 with various populations in the community.
    (e) An applicant seeking to serve as the coordinating body for community-
 based activities shall meet the following application and program
 requirements:
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       (1) submit an application to the Department describing how the
 coordinating body, if awarded a grant, shall:
          (A) develop, implement, and continually evaluate and improve its
 activities; and
          (B) serve the entire population, including underrepresented and
 economically disadvantaged communities; and
       (2) take a public health approach to planning for mental health
 prevention and promotion, using best available evidence, to detect, prevent,
 and improve mental health, behavioral health, and psychosocial conditions
 among all adults, adolescents, and young children by strengthening the entire
 community’s psychological and emotional wellness and resilience, including
 by:
       (A) collecting and analyzing qualitative information from community
 residents, as well as quantitative data to identify:
             (i) protective factors that enhance and sustain the community’s
 capacity for mental wellness and resilience during adversities; and
             (ii) risk factors that undermine such capacity;
       (B) strengthening protective factors and addressing risk factors;
       (C) building awareness, skills, tools, and leadership in the community;
       (D) developing, implementing, and continually evaluating and
 improving a comprehensive strategic plan for carrying out the activities VT LEG #372863 v.2
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 described in subdivisions (A)–(C) of this subdivision (2) that includes utilizing
 developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate; evidence-based;
 evidence-informed; and indigenous practices for:
             (i) engaging residents in building community connections,
 including across cultural, geographic, and economic boundaries;
             (ii) enhancing local economic, social, and environmental
 conditions, including with respect to the built environment; and
             (iii) becoming trauma- and community-oriented and resilience-
 informed and learning self-regulation or co-regulation and adversity-based
 growth, mental wellness, and resilience skills;
       (E) engaging in community activities that strengthen individual and
 community mental wellness and resilience;
       (F) partaking in nonclinical group and community-minded prevention,
 healing, and recovery programs; and
       (G) engaging in other activities to promote mental wellness and
 resilience and prevent or heal individual and community traumas during and
 after significant stresses, emergencies, and disasters.
    (f) The coordinating body selected for this pilot program shall focus on
 utilizing the strategic planning goals listed in subsection (e) of this section,
 including the following nonclinical activities:
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       (1) identifying a pilot community or communities and area leadership
 from across multiple sectors and ensuring invitations to participate are
 representative and inclusive of the community and account for barriers to
 participation;
       (2) developing and deploying of a full-day workshop, featuring
 opportunities for training, networking, and sustainable implementation
 planning to provide skills and resources for community leadership to take local
 action and support future efforts around mental well-being and resilience;
       (3) developing and sharing of pre- and postworkshop readings,
 resources, and toolkits through an accessible website or learning management
 platform;
       (4) performing data collection, including participant and trainer
 evaluations, program logistics reviews, and workshop observations to support
 revisions for future efforts;
       (5) providing a final pilot program evaluation and report to the
 Department on or before September 1, 2027; and
       (6) creating a demonstration project or case study that builds on the best
 emerging global models and that can serve as a model for future efforts in
 Vermont.
    (g) The plan of the coordinating body shall include a strategy to provide
 education, training, and other activities in a manner that regenerates ecological VT LEG #372863 v.2
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 systems and biodiversity and continually reduces and eventually eliminates the
 use of fossil fuels and release of greenhouse gas emissions.
    (h) Funds appropriated for this pilot program shall be used to supplement
 and not supplant other local public funds and private funds expended to
 provide trauma-related coordination activities.
    (i) On or before November 1, 2027, the Department shall submit a written
 report to the House Committees on Health Care and on Human Services and to
 the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare evaluating the activities
 conducted pursuant to this section and any recommended future actions.
 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE
    This act shall take effect on July 1, 2024.
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