Skip to main content

  • Search
  • Contact
  • Learning Center
  • Donate
  • About
    • Acknowledgements & Partners
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Staff
  • Our Work
    • NCSD Projects
    • Partnerships & Collaborations
    • Federal & State Policy
    • Clinic+: The STD and Sexual Health Clinic Initiative
    • Disease Intervention
    • Technical Assistance
  • NCSD Connect
  • Get Involved
    • About Membership
    • Job Board
    • Explore Resources
    • Share Your Story
  • Resources
  • Events
  • News & Announcements
> News & Announcements > The Bipartisan Women’s Caucus Calls for Urgent National Response to the Growing STD Crisis
Press Release

The Bipartisan Women’s Caucus Calls for Urgent National Response to the Growing STD Crisis

Release Date
December 20, 2019

Washington, DC – Today, the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues (Women’s Caucus), a bipartisan membership organization within the House of Representatives, issued a letter to the heads of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calling for new initiatives and resources to address the growing STD epidemics and asking the Trump Administration take steps to mitigate this crisis. This letter comes as CDC reported recently that STDs reached all-time highs in the U.S., following five years of dramatic increases.

“NCSD applauds the Women’s Caucus for recognizing that our nation’s health is not a partisan issue and we thank these Congressional leaders for their support,” says David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD). “We now turn to our public health leaders at HHS and CDC to answer the call.”

Women too often bear the brunt of these epidemics. Women, for biological reasons, are prone to the long-term ill-effects of STDs. These infections can lead to cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, ectopic pregnancies, cancer, and newborn death. Chlamydia, our nation’s most frequently reported infection, causes infertility in more than 24,000 women each year. Also, worrisome trends have emerged in mother-to-child transmission of syphilis (congenital syphilis). Between 2017 and 2018, congenital syphilis cases nearly doubled 40 percent and deaths associated with congenital syphilis increased 22 percent.

“This is a critical women’s health issue that too often gets ignored. We need new funding and new initiatives to kick start a national response and this support from the Women’s Caucus will go a long way in making that happen,” says Taryn Couture, NCSD’s associate director of government relations.

NCSD has called on Congress to support an $82 million increase to the STD Prevention funding line in FY2021 at CDC to support state and local health departments – our nation’s first-line of defense against these infections. The STD prevention funding line has seen effectively a 40 percent reduction in purchasing power since 2003 leading to cutbacks in staff and services. STD programs are becoming overwhelmed by the STD surge and turning the tide will require a national response, like the one called for by the Women’s Caucus.

About NCSD

The National Coalition of STD Directors is a national public health membership organization representing health department STD directors, their support staff, and community-based partners across 50 states, seven large cities, and eight US territories. Our mission is to advance effective STD prevention programs and services across the country. NCSD does this as the voice of our membership. We provide leadership, build capacity, convene partners, and advocate. Go to ncsddc.org  for more information.

Read this next:

STI Leaders Applaud SCOTUS Braidwood Ruling and Call for Protecting Key Recommendations

June 30, 2025

Federal Policy Update – June 27, 2025

June 27, 2025

Federal Policy Update – June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025
Get the STI Weekly and other updates! Sign up now.
  • About
    • Our Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Acknowledgements & Partners
  • Our Work
    • Member Services
    • NCSD Projects
    • Federal & State Policy
    • Technical Assistance
    • Partnerships & Collaborations
    • DIS
    • Clinic+: The STD and Sexual Health Clinic Initiative
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Member
    • Find a Job
    • Explore Resources
    • Share Your Story
  • Resources
  • News & Announcements
  • Events
  • Learning Center
  • Get in Touch
  • Organizational Financial Statements
  • Donate
© Copyright NCSD 2025.
Privacy Policy Credits