If syphilis in Union County runs 36% lower than the US average, regular testing remains important if you've had a recent risk or simply test on a regular schedule. Clinics may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while many private labs let you pay a flat self-pay price. See your options below.
Available testing centers
12 testing options are listed for Union, NJ. The nearest, Quest Diagnostics, is about 0.2 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
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.
Optum in Maplewood accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with a fee structure that scales to income for those without coverage. The clinic tests for HIV (rapid and conventional), syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB, treating bacterial infections the same visit, and all of it is available in Spanish.
Optum's hepatitis C care extends past antibody screening into active treatment: antiviral regimens are prescribed and monitored on-site, with clinical staff tracking viral load response through the course of therapy. That means a positive result moves into a treatment plan without leaving the building.
Many STI testing sites stop at the diagnosis, PrEP prescribing requires a separate provider relationship most clinics don't offer. Optum in Maplewood writes and manages PrEP prescriptions directly, keeping ongoing HIV prevention in the same clinical relationship as testing and treatment.
Spanish-language care at Optum operates at the clinical level: history, counseling, PrEP education, and treatment instructions are conducted in Spanish. That reach into medication adherence counseling is where fluency in the language of care carries real clinical consequence.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
A free or low-cost STD-testing site about 3 miles from Union, run as a Federally Qualified Health Center with sliding-scale fees.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Irvington Community Health Center, in Irvington, earns its federal qualification by anchoring care for residents paying out of pocket, between insurance gaps, or working without coverage. Sliding-scale fees bring syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening within reach regardless of income, and no appointment is needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
RWJ Barnabas Health in Newark requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead is the move, but that single visit covers rapid and conventional HIV testing, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, same-visit bacterial treatment, and sliding-scale fees, with all services provided at no charge.
RWJ Barnabas Health in Newark carries no cost for any service on its list, testing, treatment, vaccines, counseling, PrEP initiation, HIV medical management. That zero applies regardless of insurance status or income, with no service carved out as the exception that quietly costs something.
For anyone without a regular prescriber, RWJ Barnabas Health in Newark holds both PrEP and PEP within the same clinical relationship that handles testing and STI care: no separate specialist to locate, no gap between the conversation about prevention and the prescription that follows it.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Planned Parenthood of Northern Central and Southern New Jersey in Elizabeth requires appointments and covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and rapid HIV testing on a sliding-scale fee, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, HPV and hepatitis A and B vaccines, and PrEP and PEP on site.
PrEP at this location means a clinician prescribes the medication, tracks lab work, and schedules follow-up. The monitoring cycle that makes daily PrEP effective runs through the same staff. PEP is also available when prevention can't wait.
Many clinics handle minors' sexual health care the same way they handle adults', with parental disclosure as the default. As a Title X-funded site, Planned Parenthood of Northern Central and Southern New Jersey is legally required to keep services for minors confidential, a protection that goes beyond policy.
Plenty of clinics treat Spanish as an obstacle to work around after a patient arrives. At this Elizabeth location, Spanish is a direct care language, staff speak it, and broader interpretation services extend that access across other languages as well.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Saint James Health South Ward Wellness Center in Newark holds its federal health center designation specifically to serve people who are uninsured, paying out of pocket, or caught between providers. Charging sliding-scale fees tied to income. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
City of Elizabeth Department of Health and Human Services offers gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia testing at no charge. Every service here carries a zero-dollar price tag regardless of income or insurance. Walk-ins are welcome, and bacterial infections diagnosed on-site can be treated the same visit.
For anyone paying cash, without a regular provider, or weighing whether they can afford treatment alongside testing, the City of Elizabeth Department of Health and Human Services answers directly: every service (testing, vaccines, DoxyPEP, STI treatment) costs nothing. There is no tier of care that carries a charge.
Without on-site interpretation, a language barrier at an STI clinic can mean missed instructions, incomplete histories, and infections that go undertreated. City of Elizabeth Department of Health and Human Services provides interpretation services for non-English languages, so the clinical conversation (symptoms, treatment, prevention) reaches every patient with the same completeness.
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (a single 200 mg dose taken within 72 hours of a sexual exposure to reduce chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis risk) is available directly at City of Elizabeth Department of Health and Human Services. Having DoxyPEP dispensed at the same clinic that provides testing means the regimen is accessible without coordinating a separate prescription.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Saint James Health, Inc. West, in Newark, welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federally qualified status anchors a sliding-scale fee structure tied to income, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing reachable in a single visit for patients across the pay spectrum.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Free tool · not a clinic
Testing too soon can miss an infection. Enter the date of possible exposure to see the earliest a test can reliably detect each STI.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Conclusive after |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Gonorrhea | 7 days after exposure | 14 days after exposure |
| Trichomoniasis | 7 days after exposure | 28 days after exposure |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10 days after exposure | 33 days after exposure |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18 days after exposure | 45 days after exposure |
| HIV (antibody) | 21 days after exposure | 84 days after exposure |
| Syphilis | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis B | 21 days after exposure | 42 days after exposure |
| Hepatitis C | 56 days after exposure | 77 days after exposure |
| Herpes (HSV) | 28 days after exposure | 112 days after exposure |
Guidance only, confirm timing with a clinician. A negative result before the conclusive date may need a repeat test.
Typical out-of-pocket ranges by option, actual cost depends on which tests you need.
Public / community clinic
Free HIV testing is common
Private lab (self-pay)
Never billed to insurance
At-home kit
Mailed to your door, private
Doctor / urgent care
Often $0 preventive with insurance
No centers match those filters. Clear the service-type filter or the opening-hours filters to see every center.
Every other option
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.
Test from home
The nearest testing center is less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Union, 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 (opens in a new tab) 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
$79 & up
Best range: couples & full panels
$79 & up
Best value: single tests
$49 & up
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
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Union 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.
1308 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
2801 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1023 Commerce Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1000 Galloping Hill Road, Union, NJ 07083
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
2500 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Union. 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
Beyond dedicated clinics, 10,710 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Union. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 3,854 offer telehealth.
Chukwuemeka Ibeku, MD
Family medicine · 940 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union
Nicola Pemberton, MD Telehealth
OB-GYN · 1945 US Hwy 22 West, Union
Kavitha Persaud, MD
OB-GYN · 1323 Stuyvesant Avenue, Union
Kafilat Adewunmi, DO
Family medicine · 2333 Morris Avenue, Union
Dima Mohammad, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1620 Vauxhall Road, Union
Walead Latif, MD
Internal medicine · 1050 Galloping Hill Road, Union
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
No pharmacy near Union, NJ publishes an STD-related service or holds a current CLIA testing certificate, so these are simply the closest. Contact a location directly to confirm counter hours, services, prices, and availability before visiting.
Care Plus Pharmacy
0.1 mi
0.1 mi Perkins Pharmacy
0.1 miUltra Health Pharmacy
0.1 miSchwarz Pharmaceuticals
0.1 mi
0.4 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Union, NJ.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Union, 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.
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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
How reported STI rates in Union County, the county that includes Union, compare with New Jersey and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~33% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#8 of 21 New Jersey counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 62% of the state
| Infection | Union County | New Jersey | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 452.7 2,593 cases ▲ 18% | 384.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 131.8 755 cases ▲ 21% | 109.1 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 10.1 58 cases ▲ 25% | 8.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 10.5 60 cases ▲ 1% | 10.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 19 109 cases ▲ 19% | 16 | 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.
Between 2020 and 2023 in Union County, chlamydia has risen from 395.8 to 452.7 per 100,000 (14%), gonorrhea has risen from 116.5 to 131.8 per 100,000 (13%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 11.8 to 10.1 per 100,000 (14%).
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
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 Union County.
Local HIV snapshot
Union County HIV care continuum (2023)
Union County recorded 18.6 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 11.9 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Union County residents living with HIV, 68.8% are in care · 62.6% 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.
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 Union County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Turtle Back Zoo sits just past the Springfield Township line, close enough that Union's youngest adults can walk there on a Saturday, though most are navigating something far less scenic (new jobs, shared leases off Morris Avenue, the Garden State Parkway commute that strings their days together) during the same years when STI rates climb highest nationally. Union's demographics reflect that clearly, with a third of residents in precisely that window. What shapes the testing picture here is a housing profile that skews heavily toward ownership and larger households, average families of three-plus people under one roof, nearly half of them married. That stability can make frank conversations about routine screening feel less urgent, even when circumstances shift.
Meanwhile, the roughly one-in-four residents who do rent are absorbing typical monthly costs that leave little room for unplanned health expenses, which matters when deciding whether to prioritize a clinic visit over other pressing bills. With nearly 44 percent of households earning above $100k, financial barriers vary widely across ZIP codes, but sliding-scale options on this page help even things out. Routine screening fits naturally into a life already built around this community.
Getting there
Union scores 13.94/20 on the EPA walkability index, so many trips are walkable or a short ride, though a car still gives you the widest choice of testing centers.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 07083 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 07083 area around Union: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Union alone.
Union sits in Union County, ZIP 07083. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Union? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
Reference
Everything to know before you test in Union County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under New Jersey law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
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 |
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Union-area provider.
| Infection | Earliest reliable test | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Gonorrhea | 1–2 weeks | Urine or swab |
| Trichomoniasis | 1–4 weeks | Urine or swab |
| HIV (NAT / RNA) | 10–33 days | Blood |
| HIV (4th-gen Ag/Ab) | 18–45 days | Blood |
| HIV (antibody) | 3–12 weeks | Blood / oral |
| Syphilis | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis B | 3–6 weeks | Blood |
| Hepatitis C | 8–11 weeks | Blood |
| Herpes (HSV) | 4–16 weeks (antibody); swab a sore | Blood / swab |
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Union 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.
Two things that actually depend on New Jersey 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).
In New Jersey, a minor can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment at any age, and to HIV testing at age 13 or older; a provider may notify a parent, and must do so where sexual assault is involved.
New Jersey 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.
Learn more about confidential STD testing in New JerseySource: Guttmacher Institute, Minors' Access to STI Services; CDC, Legal Status of Expedited Partner Therapy. General information, not legal advice.
Good to Know
Answers to the questions people ask most before getting tested.
Yes, several local labs offer same-day walk-in testing; best to call first.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Union County reported ~453 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the New Jersey average.
At-home kits mail to 07083: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In New Jersey, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems, caught early, it's cured with antibiotics.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.