Leading the National Coalition for Sexual Health

Overview

By nearly every measure—high rates of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, and sexual violence—sexual health in the U.S. is poor. Recognizing the limits of a narrow, disease-focused approach, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention embraced a more positive, comprehensive framework for improving sexual health, and funded Altarum to create a national coalition to help make this vision a reality. By mobilizing hundreds of leading national organizations and experts, creating practical evidence-based tools, and conducting media outreach, Altarum is promoting sexual health and wellness across the lifespan and across the country.

Approach

The National Coalition of Sexual Health (NCSH) is now a coalition of over 200 national organizations and experts, including health care provider groups, government agencies, community health organizations, and advocacy groups, committed to advancing sexual health and improving the overall health of our nation. The NCSH, under Altarum’s leadership and management, is motivating health care providers to deliver preventive health services to their patients; saturating consumer and social media with key sexual health messages; developing high-quality, evidence-based products and resources for the public and healthcare providers; and normalizing sexual health.

Focus Areas

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Examples of Our Work

Health and Science Communications Advisory Services

NCSH provider resources are cited by the Journal of Sexual Medicine as “excellent tools for undergraduate medical education” and by the American Journal of Public Health as key to ensuring “productive conversations with patients about sex.”

Our members are also very satisfied with the work of the Coalition. According to our annual member survey, 92% strongly agreed or agreed that they were satisfied with the Coalition’s accomplishments, with one member stating, "There isn’t another organization providing the breadth of information provided by this coalition." Members are actively engaged—in just one year, they volunteered at least 973 hours of their time.

In addition, we’re making an impact in the media; from 2013-2020, NCSH has secured over 700 media stories, generating over 2.4 billion audience impressions in at least 563 different outlets. Most importantly, we are promoting inclusive, person-centered care to improve the overall health of the nation.