We welcome you all to STD Awareness Month!

As STDs rates reach heights not seen in 20 years, this year more than ever, we in the STD Prevention field need to be vigilant in sounding the alarm about the across the board increases in these preventable conditions and what is being done to combat them. STD Awareness Month provides an excellent opportunity to herald the tireless work of our DIS and other program staff who are dedicated to protecting the lives of people around the nation and we want to give you the platform to do so. If you have an employee or program that you would like to highlight, let us know at NCSD. It’s our job to promote and support our members in any way that we can and it’s an honor to put a spotlight on the public health heroes who are making a difference across the nation.

This month NCSD will use our blog, STD Prevention Gone Viral, to focus our attention on spreading the word about some disproportionately affected populations. Kicking off the month this first week’s theme is STDs and the LGBTQ community. NCSD’s very own Jessica Frasure-Williams, Director of Programs and Partnerships, and Stephen Hicks, Health Equity and Capacity Building Manager, will be featured in a new collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign and we will be cross-posting multiple blogs with HRC throughout the month. This is a really exciting collaboration and a great way to talk about STDs in new ways to a wide range of people who we don’t usually reach. We will also be featuring blogs from some of our members with focus on STDs and adolescents, sexual health communications, and more. Additionally, we will be hosting an It’s Your Call conference call entitled How STD Programs Can Increase PrEP Usage and Facilitate STI Prevention. And, these are just a few things we have planned for this month.