NCSD Applauds Proposed STD Prevention Funding Increase for FY’23 

For Immediate Release: June 29, 2022
Contact: Elizabeth Finley, [email protected], 919-749-7309

The National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) applauds the House Appropriations committee for recommending $179,310,000 in FY’23 for sexually transmitted diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an increase of $15,000,000 over the FY’22 enacted level.   

“This is an important down payment on restoring the nation’s health, but we will need more to reverse the raging epidemic of STDs in America,” said David C. Harvey, executive director of NCSD. “This increase is a meaningful first step that shows our national leadership is starting to grasp the gravity of this crisis.” 

In addition to the ten percent funding increase for STD prevention and control, the House bill also includes: 

• $46 million for the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, a more than $10 million increase over FY’22; 
• $1 billion for CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention, an increase of $60 million from the previous year’s funding; 
• $245 million for CDC’s Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, a $50 million over last year’s funding; 
• $250 million for HRSA’s Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, a $125 million increase over FY’22; and 
• $500 million for Title X family planning, a more than $200 million increase over the previous year. 

Over the years, NCSD has requested increases in STD funding to help combat the rising number of cases in the country and commends Chair DeLauro for her leadership and for increasing the investment in STD prevention. STD programs are crucial for helping the nation address congenital syphilis cases, which have increased 235% over a five-year period.   

“While we’re encouraged to see the increase in program funds, we cannot fully address the STD epidemic without funding for clinical services to provide the testing and treatment that are the bedrocks of prevention – and the monkeypox outbreak only further highlights that need,” said Harvey. “We will continue to request that the Senate help solve this problem by fully funding STD programs and providing dedicated funding for STD clinical services.”