April 12, 2024
HACU supports ACCESS in Mental Health Act to increase diversity in the mental health workforce
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities is among the organizations supporting the Advancing Culturally Competent and Equitable Supportive Services (ACCESS) in Mental Health Act, which would provide more Black and Brown mental health professionals who are equipped to provide culturally responsive and trauma-informed care.
HACU president and CEO Antonio R. Flores, in Washington, D.C., for the Association’s 29th Annual Capitol Forum, joined Congressman Jamal Bowman and representatives from Que Paso Latinx, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Young Invincibles, and the American Psychological Association on the steps of Capitol Hill at a press conference announcing the introduction of the ACCESS Act. Congressman Bowman was a featured speaker at the Congressional Plenary of HACU’s Capitol Forum, providing remarks on increasing support for Hispanic-Serving Institutions in New York and across the nation and where he discussed the importance the ACCESS in Mental Health Act.
Passage of the ACCESS in Mental Health Act would provide grants to HSIs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions to create, expand, or improve graduate programs in mental health fields, including psychology, counseling, social work, psychiatry, school-based mental health professions, substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and more. Grants of $10,000 per year to students pursuing graduate degrees in mental health fields at these institutions would also be provided to help cover the cost of attendance.
