Sexual Health Buzz

Think STDs aren’t your issue? Think again. If you have had sex, or plan to, you could get an STD. You owe it to yourself and others to contact your Senator now.

The Senate will begin debate this week on the Economic Recovery Bill, which includes $400 million in funding for HIV and STD screening and prevention.

As the debate swirls around the stimulus package it is imperative that the final package keep the $400 million that will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and then on to the states with the highest levels of HIV and STDs. States are in desperate need of resources for their public health programs.

19 million. Number of new cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the U.S. each year (no, that’s not a typo). 15 billion. Cost in dollars each year to treat the 19 million new cases of STDs.

This epidemic is getting worse. The poor, especially in communities of color, are being ravaged by these infections:

1.) The rate of new HIV infections among African American women is 15 times higher than that of white women. African-Americans are only 13% of the population yet account for more than half of all HIV cases.

2.) According to figures from CDC, from 2002 to 2006, chlamydia rates increased by 17.2% among African Americans; 23.7% among American Indian/Alaska Natives; 12.7% among Hispanics.

Years of neglect. The politics of the last eight years have left our nation’s STD prevention programs in sad shape, a fact made only worse by the current economic crisis.

The news is not all bleak, though, as the economic stimulus package currently before the U.S. Senate gives us a rare opportunity to repair our STD prevention and treatment infrastructure AND help the economy at the same time.

In the package, $400 million dollars is marked to go directly to HIV/AIDS and STD screening and prevention. Most of the funds marked would be used to retain and hire thousands of health workers, so public health and local economies are served by keeping more nurses, lab technicians, and support staff working, paying taxes, and off of unemployment rolls.

Please, take five minutes today to get in touch with your state’s Senators. Call or e-mail today (or, if you’re as annoyed by all this as I am, you’ll do both!). Click here to find out how to contact your Senators, or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Consider mentioning these talking points:

I oppose any amendments that would remove any funding for HIV/AIDS and STD prevention.

Because:

1.) The STD burden in the U.S. is the highest in the industrialized world and we have no excuse for it.

2.) These funds will pay for themselves many times over by reducing the number of costly STDs that must be treated every year.

3.) This is a necessary step to protect the health of all Americans, especially vulnerable populations such as young people and the poor.

4.) Finally, this is a one-time investment that is an effective way to create thousands of jobs.

Please, contact your Senators today. We must not miss this chance to do not only the right thing, but also the smart thing for America and our economy. Change starts with action. Above all, change starts with you! Please act now.

Warmly and with great respect,

Lynn Barclay
ASHA President our CEO
LynnBarclay@ASHAstd.org
ASHASTD.org