My NCSD, NCSD’s online community, is turning one! We have loved watching My NCSD blossom over the past year and seeing all the connections made and resources shared. As an automatic benefit of NCSD membership, NCSD members have truly made the community their own, using it to ask specific questions, share contact information, and interact with peers and NCSD staff.

My NCSD is a free tool available to all members. Anyone can join and set up an account. Go to My NCSD here. My NCSD allows members to post questions, connect with other NCSD members, join role-specific communities, and troubleshoot issues with their peers across the country. 

Since My NCSD launched, 809 unique users have logged in 3,385 times and the 444 messages posted have received 441 replies. Resource documents posted to My NCSD have been  viewed 2,222 times and downloaded 1,516 times. The most viewed resources this year were the VCA pocket assistant, DIS training resources, and Spanish terminology resources. NCSD has used this demonstrated interest to adapt to the needs of the field and create additional upcoming programming and resources related to these topics.  

“Over the years, I had watched STD colleagues use a variety of platforms to communicate to one another, often times referring each other back and forth to different sites or emails. With MyNCSD, there is one central location where all STD Prevention staff can communicate together – from STD Directors to DIS, everyone’s opinion is valued and welcomed. For me personally, My NCSD supported my transition from state government to county government, giving me a network of STD Prevention Directors and Clinical Managers to rely on as I figured out my new role supporting an STD Clinic. Not only do I get valuable ideas and information from my colleagues on My NCSD, I have a unique network of individuals who understand the challenges I am facing and can offer me support.” 

– Emily Fussell, STD Program Manager, Marion County Public Health Department 

“My NCSD has allowed me to connect with other DIS Trainers across the country. These connections have enabled me to share training materials and receive ideas from other jurisdictions and has fostered success in training our large influx of new staff. It’s been great finding others with the experience and knowledge I needed to make my job easier!”

– Amber McArthur, Field Services Program Analyst at the Kansas Department of Health & Environment 

I have had such an amazing experiencing getting to be a community ambassador for the My NCSD platform. It’s been an incredible tool for locating resources and making connections with other public health/STI folks across the country. The ‘general forum’ community is extremely helpful as it provides such a wide variety of discussion topics and has been helpful in keeping up to date with treatment recommendations, DIS-related trainings, insight into STI program operations, and keeping in the know of all upcoming NCSD-sponsored webinars. In my unique role coming from a non-profit, it’s also been wonderful to share my own expertise and recommendations for folks seeking resources on various STI-related topics as a community ambassador. My NCSD is a terrific tool that all folks working in STI prevention and treatment should know about – and join!

– Brandon Heinbaugh, HIV/STI Project Manager, HCET