The Catholic Health Association wants President Trump to rescind his decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. 

While the Catholic association believes that WHO has room from improvement and needs strengthening in some aspects, the organization said in a news release posted on June 22 and the letter to the president, that exiting the international health agency is not the right decision. 

In the release, the Catholic Health Association said it is "counterproductive and only ensures that the U.S. will have little influence in efforts to address this worldwide pandemic."

The president has threatened to withdraw the United States from the WHO, alleging that the international organization has been part of the problem in dealing with COVID-19, though there is no proof of his claims at this time. This week, the president formally told WHO that the U.S. will withdraw. The process takes at least one year, according to reports. The United States is the WHO's largest financial supporter. 

"The leadership of the United States is essential to helping coordinate responses to current and future global health crises," the Catholic Health Association said in the news release. "Now is the time to stand in solidarity with those in need around the world to save lives and provide hope." 

The letter from the health association said that working through the WHO allowed the country and the nation to fight “Ebola, smallpox, polio, rubella, measles, bird flu, HIV/AIDS and [a] wide variety of communicable and non-communicable diseases," the association said. 

The letter points out the health association's history of supporting the fight against diseases including COVID-19 and the value of having partnerships. 

"Indeed, now is the time to stand in solidarity with those in need around the world to save lives and provide hope," the association wrote in its letter. "CHA strongly urges you to reconsider this decision and ensure the U.S. remains a leader in global health."