Late last month, NCSD joined a number of colleague organizations in joining the policy paper “Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States: A Roadmap for Federal Action” drafted by AIDS United.  This roadmap is a call to the U.S. government to officially declare that it is our goal to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2025 and enact legislative and regulatory changes to achieve this goal. It additionally urgently seeks to eliminate or reduce the related syndemics of opioid use, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and tuberculosis (TB).

NCSD was heavily involved in the drafting of this policy paper, particularly the sections on STDs.  This section (beginning on page 79) focuses on a number of recommendations for federal action:

• Declare the STD epidemic a Public Health Emergency
• Fund STD prevention at a level commensurate with the scope of the epidemic
• Include STD screening and treatment as a component of HIV prevention programs
• Ramp up provider education on STD diagnosis and treatment
• Commit to ending congenital syphilis
• Work to ensure that penicillin stays in stock
• Address the high cost of Bicillin LA on the private market
• Research and develop a new gonorrhea antibiotic treatment
• Commit to comprehensive sexual education
• Work to re-establish clinical quality measure for STD screening
• Include STD as a core quality Medicaid measure
• Develop sex positive messaging