NCSD Applauds Biden Administration’s $4.5 B Monkeypox Funding Ask

Statement from David C. Harvey, Executive Director of National Coalition of STD Directors 

For Immediate Release: September 2, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, EFinley@ncsddc.org, 919-749-7309 

Washington, DC – On Friday, the Biden administration released a series of emergency funding requests, including $4.5 billion to address the nationwide outbreak of monkeypox. The funding request asks Congress to supply previously unavailable funding to administer vaccines, testing, and treatment, and to provide funding urgently needed by STI clinics on the front lines.  David Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), issued the following statement supporting the Biden administration’s ask and urging Congress to act immediately upon their return to Washington:  

“The Biden administration’s funding request finally provides a ray of hope to the nation’s STI clinics who have been working to stop the spread of monkeypox with absolutely no dedicated funding to slow the outbreak. The nation’s STI clinics have been on the front lines since day one to slow the spread of the virus in their communities and serve patients in great pain. But providing testing, treatment and vaccination with no financial support has put an unsustainable strain on these essential providers.” 

“Monkeypox highlighted some of the greatest weaknesses of America’s threadbare public health system. It demonstrated that persistent underfunding and a burned out workforce have left us unable to respond to emerging threats. STI clinics put their own stability on the line to figure out a way to serve patients, but they can’t survive long term without dedicated support – nor can they be ready to respond to the next pandemic.”

“The U.S. has always had the tools to stop the monkeypox outbreak, but patients and clinics never had the implementation funding to help them make their fullest impact. We applaud the Biden administration for stepping up to request the funding clinics need to serve their communities so we can finally do what we should have done months ago – commit to stopping this virus. We need Congress to step up to fund the $4.5 billion request immediately.”  says David C. Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD)

###