STD Testing in Big Spring, TX: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
In Howard County, Texas, chlamydia runs about 20% lower than the US average. Whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind in Big Spring, Texas, you have several STI testing options to consider. Public clinics keep costs down, private labs prioritize speed, and at-home kits trade a clinic visit for convenience. See the list below to weigh your options.
12 testing options are listed for Big Spring, TX. The nearest, South Plains Rural Health Services, is about 0.6 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
How to read these listings
Listings tagged Community health center are federally funded health centers and rural clinics that treat everyone regardless of insurance or ability to pay: required to bill on a sliding fee scale and provide confidential care, and in many states minors may consent to their own STI testing. A Title X tag flags centers funded for confidential family-planning services; confirm current participation when you call.
Source: CMS FQHC & Rural Health Clinic enrollment files (data.cms.gov), refreshed quarterly. Title X status reflects the latest OPA grantee list.
Howard County Community Health Center in Big Spring meets patients where they are (uninsured, cash-paying, or caught between providers) through federally qualified standing that anchors sliding-scale fees to income. STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia is available without the barrier of a fixed price.
A community safety-net rural health clinic in Big Spring. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Texas Department of State Health Services in Big Spring requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead is the move: though that single visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, HPV and hepatitis A/B vaccines, and sliding-scale fees for everyone.
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Herpes Testing Alongside the Standard Four
Plenty of public STI clinics run the four-infection panel and stop there, leaving herpes diagnosis to a separate appointment elsewhere. At Texas DSHS Big Spring, herpes testing sits within the same visit. No secondary referral needed to get a complete picture.
Full STI Care Conducted in Spanish
Many clinics manage Spanish-speaking patients through workarounds, a staff member pulled from another task, a device passed across a desk. Here, care is delivered directly in Spanish, so counseling, test results, and treatment conversations happen in the same language from start to finish.
Tests & treatsSliding-scale
Address
501 South Birdwell Lane, Suite 28B Big Spring, TX 79720
Midland Community Healthcare Services is a community health center in Midland where fees follow a sliding scale open to everyone, with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance all accepted, and the panel extends beyond the bacterial basics to include hepatitis B and hepatitis C alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV.
Midland Community Healthcare Services, PBCC Sattelite Clinic
No ratings yet
Midland Community Healthcare Services, PBCC Satellite Clinic in Midland meets patients where insurance gaps, cash-pay realities, or coverage lapses make care feel out of reach. Federal qualification anchors its sliding-scale fee structure, letting income determine cost for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening. No appointment needed.
Midland Community Healthcare Services, Women's Services Clinic
3.2(20)?
Review sources
Google17
EasySTD3
Rated 3.2 out of 5 from 20 reviews
Midland Community Healthcare Services, Women's Services Clinic in Midland earns its federal qualification partly by tying fees to income. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
Midland Health Department brings county-level infrastructure to STI care in Midland, where gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis testing runs alongside HIV testing, TB screening, and same-visit bacterial treatment on a sliding-scale fee. Appointments required.
Beyond the dedicated testing centers above: at-home kits by mail, hospital labs certified for STI testing, local clinicians who can order a panel during a regular visit, pharmacies for self-test kits and prescriptions, and online PrEP & treatment.
The nearest testing center is less than a mile away, if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Big Spring, you collect the sample privately, and mail it back to a CLIA-certified lab. Results come online in days, with a clinician available if anything is positive. Same labs as a clinic, no waiting room, and you can read how accurate at-home STD tests are before you order.
Want a free option first? The CDC-supported TakeMeHome program mails free at-home HIV self-test kits, and, in many areas, free STI kits, to your door, with no insurance or payment needed. The paid kits below add broader panels and faster turnaround.
In-home collection
Quest Diagnostics
$79 & up
Panel:
8-infection panel incl. chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis & herpes: single tests too
Sample:
Quest Mobile: a phlebotomist collects your sample at home
Every kit uses CLIA-certified labs. At-home testing is for screening; a reactive result should be confirmed and treated by a clinician. Prices and panels shown are illustrative and change often, confirm current details on the provider's site.
Also in the area
Other CLIA-certified labs near Big Spring, TX
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Howard County, each lab's town is shown on its card below. Many test through a doctor's order or by appointment rather than walk-in, so call ahead to confirm STD/STI testing and availability before visiting.
Big Spring Texas Hospital Company
1601 West 11th Place, Big Spring, TX 79720
CMS-certified labAccredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Big Spring. A CLIA certificate records only that a laboratory is federally certified — it does not confirm the site performs STD testing, nor its hours, price or access. Inclusion is not an endorsement; always call to verify.
Local clinicians
Clinicians near Big Spring, TX who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 46 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Big Spring. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 11 offer telehealth.
These are registry-listed clinicians, not dedicated STD-testing clinics. CMS records do not independently verify current licensure, testing services, availability, price, or new-patient status. Confirm each detail before booking. Source: CMS Doctors & Clinicians.
Nearby pharmacies
Pharmacies near Big Spring, TX
Compare the pharmacies closest to Big Spring, TX. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Big Spring, TX.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
PrEP, prevention & online treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Big Spring, telehealth covers the rest: HIV-prevention medication (PrEP) and DoxyPEP to lower future risk, and discreet online treatment if a result comes back positive. All prescribed by licensed U.S. clinicians.
Online treatment
Nurx
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
Pricing varies by insurance and changes often, confirm on the provider's site. These services are not a substitute for emergency care.
STD stats & rates
STDs & HIV in Howard County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Howard County, the county that includes Big Spring, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~30% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#76
#76 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 70% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Howard County vs Texas vs U.S.
Howard CountyTexasU.S.▲▼ = Howard County vs the state average
Infection
Howard County
Texas
United States
Chlamydia
392.7120 cases▼ 20%
491.9
492.2
Gonorrhea
114.635 cases▼ 35%
176.4
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
19.66 cases▲ 31%
15
15.8
Syphilis (early)
3611 cases▲ 36%
26.4
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
58.918 cases▲ 33%
44.3
29.5
Rates per 100,000 population, 2023. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis). Population figures: U.S. Census Bureau ACS. These figures are the latest available surveillance estimates. Bars are scaled to the highest rate shown.
Reading these numbers: reported case rates only count infections that were actually tested for and diagnosed, so they track local screening effort as much as true spread: a higher rate can reflect more testing, a lower one less. Either way, most STIs cause no symptoms, so treat the figures above as context rather than a verdict, and test on the CDC's schedule regardless of how your area looks.
Reported STD rates in Howard County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▼ 5% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Howard County, chlamydia has risen from 289.7 to 392.7 per 100,000 (36%), gonorrhea has fallen from 129.1 to 114.6 per 100,000 (11%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 2.9 to 19.6 per 100,000 (576%).
The 2020 dip reflects reduced pandemic-era screening, not lower transmission. Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county, state & U.S., all-ages basis).
Community health context
What shapes testing access in and around Big Spring, TX
Adults uninsured
24.2%
No routine checkup
27.3%
Binge drinking
17.2%
Frequent mental distress
18%
Depression
22%
Below poverty line
15.3%
Primary-care ratio
4,875 : 1
Howard County
Primary-care shortage score 21 / 26
Social Vulnerability Index · 88th percentile nationally
Sources: CDC PLACES (ZIP), County Health Rankings, CDC/ATSDR SVI, HRSA HPSA, HRSA MUA/P, Neighborhood Atlas ADI. Lower insurance coverage, fewer routine checkups, and a thin primary-care ratio all raise the value of low-cost public clinics and at-home testing in Howard County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Howard County (2023)
People living with HIV
681 / 100k
PrEP users / 100k
125
Howard County HIV care continuum (2020)
Howard County recorded 20.6 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2020), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Howard County residents living with HIV, 21.6% are in care · 19.3% are virally suppressed. Early, routine testing is what moves these numbers: it is the entry point to PrEP, treatment, and viral suppression.
Sources: AIDSVu (Emory/Gilead) · CDC AHEAD · CDC AtlasPlus · CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus (county care continuum). The CDC recommends everyone aged 13–64 test for HIV at least once: every lab and clinic listed above offers HIV testing, and free rapid HIV testing is available at a local health department.
Pregnant or planning to be?Congenital syphilis is the fastest-rising STI: what to test, and when
Congenital syphilis, passed from parent to baby in pregnancy, is the fastest-rising STI in the country. U.S. cases climbed from 2,163 in 2020 to 3,882 in 2023. It is almost entirely preventable: the CDC recommends a syphilis test at the first prenatal visit, and every clinic and lab listed for Howard County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
South Gregg Street stretches past the feed stores and flat-roofed storefronts long before it becomes the highway heading out of town, and depending on which clinic you choose from the listed here, that drive can be the whole story of whether testing actually happens this week. Big Spring's housing picture shapes that calculus quietly. Nearly four in ten residents rent, and at under nine hundred dollars a month the rent itself is modest, but modest doesn't mean easy when unemployment runs as high as it does here and barely half the working-age population is in the labor force at all. For households where the paycheck is already stretched and the schedule is uneven, a midday clinic appointment isn't a minor inconvenience; it's a real trade-off against hours that can't be recovered.
That pressure lands hardest on younger adults still forming relationships and sorting out insurance, precisely the people for whom routine screening matters most. The city's large average household size tells a related story: these aren't mostly solo renters or empty-nesters, but families sharing space across generations, which means one person's health decision ripples outward. With Scenic Mountain visible from the west side of town and neighborhoods like Edwards Heights and West Cliff spread well beyond walking distance of most services, the clinics mapped on this page represent a real geography worth bookmarking before the need feels urgent.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Big Spring, TX
Walkability7.06 / 20 · Below average
At 7.06/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Big Spring generally mean driving: plan on a car or rideshare to reach a clinic, and check each listing's hours and phone before you go.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 79720 snapshot
Residents
30,432
Median age
37.9
Median income
$71,194
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 79720 area around Big Spring: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Big Spring alone.
Big Spring sits in Howard County, ZIP 79720. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Big Spring State Park
Potton-Hayden House
Hangar 25 Air Museum
Scenic Mountain
Heritage Museum
ABC Park
Neighborhoods & communities
North Park Hill
Park Hill
West Cliff
Brennard
Edwards Heights
Indian Hills
Edwards Hills
Mountain View
Major routes
US 87 Bus (South Gregg Street)
FM 700
Nearby cities & towns
STD testing near Big Spring, TX
Just outside Big Spring? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Big Spring, TX: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Howard County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Who should test, and whenCDC screening schedule + each infection's detection window
Who should get tested, and how often
Based on current CDC screening recommendations.
Group
Tests
How often
Everyone aged 13–64
HIV
At least once
Sexually active women under 25
Chlamydia, gonorrhea
Every year
Women 25+ with new or multiple partners
Chlamydia, gonorrhea
Every year
Pregnant people
HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B & C, chlamydia
Early in pregnancy
Gay & bisexual men (MSM)
Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV
Every 3–6 months
Anyone who shares injection equipment
HIV, hepatitis B & C
At least yearly
All adults at least once
Hepatitis C
At least once
When to test: STD detection windows
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Big Spring-area provider.
What each STD test costsMedicare reference prices per lab test, a benchmark before you pay out of pocket
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Big Spring often test free or on a sliding scale; private labs and at-home kits bundle several tests into one fee. Use this as a per-test benchmark before you pay out of pocket, or see the full guide to STD test costs for insurance, free, and at-home options.
Test
Reference price
CPT / HCPCS
Chlamydia (NAAT)
$47.80
87491
Gonorrhea (NAAT)
$47.80
87591
Trichomoniasis (NAAT)
$47.76
87661
HIV-1/2 antigen/antibody
$26.87
87389
HIV-1/2 antibody
$22.44
86703
Syphilis (RPR/VDRL)
$5.61
86592
Syphilis (treponemal antibody)
$17.49
86780
Herpes (HSV NAAT)
$47.76
87529
Hepatitis B surface antigen
$15.33
87340
Hepatitis C antibody
$29.16
86803
Source: Medicare Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, CMS, 2025 rates (data.cms.gov). Reference rate for the lab assay only: a clinic visit, sample collection, or a bundled multi-test panel may cost more. Medicaid and most insurers cover STD screening at no out-of-pocket cost.
Confidentiality & consent in TexasMinor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on Texas law: who can consent, and whether partners can be treated without their own visit. Everything else about testing privately is the same nationwide (see below).
Can a minor consent on their own?
In Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Can my partner be treated too? (EPT)
Texas permits Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT): if you test positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea, your provider can give you medication (or a prescription) to pass to your partner, no separate exam or appointment needed for them.
Keeping a test private works the same in every state. Whether an STD test shows on insurance (the EOB), how to test anonymously, and self-pay options that leave no insurance trail don’t change by location.
