A new report from the National Academy of Public Administration that makes the case for taking urgent, concrete action to address skyrocketing STDs in the United States. To produce the report, “The Impact of Sexually Transmitted Diseases on the United States: Still Hidden, Getting Worse, Can Be Controlled,” the National Academy of Public Administration, an independent, non-partisan, and congressionally-chartered organization, convened a panel of national experts to thoroughly assess the current landscape of STDs in the United States and produce a list of actions for consideration to stem the tide of the epidemic. The second phase of this study will focus on state and local STD programs and is expected to be completed in 2019.

Contained in the report are six Actions for Consideration by the expert panel:

1. Designate a national STD champion to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts and to lead the development and implementation of a national STD strategy.
2. Change the STD narrative.
3. Unifying the field is a necessary step.
4. Better data and more evaluation to learn about what works—and what does not work—and to foster implementation of best practices are essential.
5. Education and awareness are needed.
6. Expanded funding and resources are necessary given the scale of the STD epidemic.