STD Testing in Columbia, SC: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
With syphilis reported in Richland County approximately 59% higher than the US average, residents in Columbia, South Carolina have choices when deciding whether to get tested after a possible exposure or as part of routine care. Clinics let you ask questions and start treatment, but at-home kits fit your schedule. See the options below.
11 testing options are listed for Columbia, SC. The nearest, Genesis Healthcare, Inc. - Corporate, is about 3.8 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.
Premium Partner
Labcorp
Most popular Results in 1–2 days
2.5(73)?
Review sources
Google68
EasySTD5
Rated 2.5 out of 5 from 73 reviews
Address
120 Highland Ctr Drive, Columbia, SC 29203 6.0 miles away
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Community health center 3.8 miles
Genesis Healthcare, Inc. - Corporate
No ratings yet
Genesis Healthcare, Inc. - Corporate in Columbia carries federal FQHC standing, which means fees slide with income and inability to pay is never a barrier. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
Colonial Healthcare in Columbia folds STI testing into a full family-practice model, meaning gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing share a roof with treatment, HPV and hepatitis A/B vaccination, and family planning. Fees billed to Medicaid or insurance, with a sliding scale otherwise. Appointments required.
Scphca/SCMHP Administration Office in Columbia earned its federally qualified designation by tying fees directly to what patients actually earn. Walk in without an appointment and access sliding-scale STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) with costs scaled to income so no one is priced out.
Palss in Columbia covers the full bacterial and viral panel (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, HIV) treats confirmed bacterial infections the same visit, and runs every one of those services at no fee, sliding-scale for anything beyond.
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Zero-Fee Care Across Every Service Line
Fee waivers at most clinics are partial: they cover the test, not the follow-up, or the visit but not the medication. At Palss, the no-fee policy holds across testing, treatment, prevention, and ongoing care, with no carve-outs hiding behind fine print.
Ryan White Funding Keeps HIV Care Continuous
Ryan White Program funding positions Palss to carry a patient from initial HIV test through sustained medical treatment, meaning the clinical relationship doesn't reset each visit but builds toward stable, managed care with medication adherence counseling woven in.
DoxyPEP Sits Alongside PrEP and PEP
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP), taken after a potential bacterial STI exposure to reduce chlamydia and syphilis risk, is prescribed at Palss alongside standard PrEP and PEP, giving patients access to all three current prevention-medication strategies without splitting care between providers.
Tests & treatsRyan White HIV careSliding-scalePrEPDoxyPEP
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in Columbia runs appointments-only STI care covering HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis B: with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, sliding-scale fees accepted by all, and Spanish-language care on staff.
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Spanish Spoken Directly, Counseling Included
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic carries Spanish-language services and interpretation for other languages through the visit itself. That means HIV test counseling, where precision and nuance matter, happens in the same language, without a relay.
Title X Means Confidential Care for Minors by Law
As a Title X-funded site, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic is legally required to keep family planning services for minors confidential. Not as a policy preference but as a federally mandated condition of the funding. That legal protection is built into how the clinic is staffed and billed.
PrEP and PEP Prescribed On-Site, No Outside Referral Needed
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic maintains the clinical capacity to prescribe and manage both PrEP and PEP directly: useful for anyone without a regular provider, paying out of pocket, or simply wanting prevention handled in the same place as testing and treatment.
Tests & treatsTitle XPrEP
Address
2712 Middleburg Drive, Suite 107 Columbia, SC 29204
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Hepatitis B
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Herpes
Chlamydia
Rapid HIV
Serves
Adolescents/Youth/Teens
LGBTQ
Low Income Persons
Care services
Family Planning
STI Treatment
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV)
Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine
Prevention services
STI Prevention/Education
HIV/AIDS Prevention/Education
HIV Test Counseling
Hepatitis Prevention/Education
Condom Distribution
Fees & payment
Medicaid Accepted
Fee
Insurance Accepted
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Community health center 6.7 miles
Cooperative Health
No ratings yet
Cooperative Health in Hopkins requires an appointment and, within that visit, covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C testing alongside same-visit treatment for bacterial infections: all on a sliding-scale fee accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance.
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When Language Gaps Leave STIs Untreated
Without on-site interpretation, a missed nuance in symptom history or a misunderstood treatment instruction can turn a treatable infection into a recurring one. Cooperative Health's interpretation services for non-English languages mean a provider at this clinic, not a separate appointment elsewhere, handles the full clinical conversation.
Hepatitis C Screening Alongside the Standard Panel
Many STI clinics test for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, and stop there, leaving hepatitis C to a separate provider visit. At Cooperative Health in Hopkins, hepatitis C testing is built into the same appointment, so a single visit surfaces infections that a narrower panel would miss.
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Hepatitis C
TB
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Chlamydia
Conventional HIV
Serves
Low Income Persons
Persons with Hepatitis
Persons with STI
Care services
Family Planning
STI Treatment
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV)
Hepatitis A Vaccine
Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine
Prevention services
TB Prevention/Education
STI Prevention/Education
HIV/AIDS Prevention/Education
HIV Test Counseling
Hepatitis Prevention/Education
Condom Distribution
Fees & payment
Medicaid Accepted
Medicare Accepted
Fee
Insurance Accepted
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
7.0 miles
Grace Medical Group
3.7(29)?
Review sources
Google27
EasySTD2
Rated 3.7 out of 5 from 29 reviews
Grace Medical Group in Columbia pairs conventional HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis A, B, and C testing with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs; fees follow a sliding scale and insurance is accepted. Appointments are required, and PrEP is available for ongoing prevention.
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Tenofovir-Based PrEP Prescribed and Monitored Here
Grace Medical Group prescribes PrEP, including tenofovir-based daily regimens, and manages the follow-up labs and monitoring intervals the medication requires. PEP is also available, meaning both the pre- and post-exposure oral prevention strategies sit within the same practice rather than requiring separate providers.
Hepatitis A, B, and C Testing Alongside the Core Panel
People without a regular primary care provider often have no straightforward way to get hepatitis A, B, and C screened alongside a standard STI panel. Grace Medical Group's testing menu covers all three. That breadth is especially useful for anyone paying out of pocket who needs a single appointment to cover the full picture.
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 about 4 miles away, if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Columbia, 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 Columbia, SC
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Richland 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.
Blood GAS Laboratory AT Prisma Health Baptist
Taylor At Marion Street, Columbia, SC 29220
CMS-certified labAccredited · College of American Pathologists
Showing 6 of the CLIA-certified labs in Richland County.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Columbia. 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 Columbia, SC who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 485 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Columbia. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 116 offer telehealth.
JA
James Altieri, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 21 Gateway Corners Park, Columbia
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 Columbia, SC
Compare the pharmacies closest to Columbia, SC. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
2.7 mi
Rx pickupOTC HIV self-testAt-home STI kitsPrEP/PEP fillsHPV & Hep B vaccinesCondoms / EC
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 Columbia, 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.
PrEP & DoxyPEP
Mistr
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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 Richland County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Richland County, the county that includes Columbia, compare with South Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~46% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#9
#9 of 46 South Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 80% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Richland County vs South Carolina vs U.S.
Richland CountySouth CarolinaU.S.▲▼ = Richland County vs the state average
Infection
Richland County
South Carolina
United States
Chlamydia
961.34,087 cases▲ 57%
612.1
492.2
Gonorrhea
403.91,717 cases▲ 82%
222.4
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
25.2107 cases▲ 46%
17.3
15.8
Syphilis (early)
31.3133 cases▲ 66%
18.8
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
48.9208 cases▲ 318%
11.7
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 Richland County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▼ 12% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Richland County, chlamydia has fallen from 1319.2 to 961.3 per 100,000 (27%), gonorrhea has fallen from 602.2 to 403.9 per 100,000 (33%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 16.1 to 25.2 per 100,000 (57%).
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 Columbia, SC
Adults uninsured
9.6%
Richland County
No routine checkup
19.3%
Richland County
Primary-care ratio
1,212 : 1
Richland County
Primary-care shortage score 12 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 47.2
Social Vulnerability Index · 79th 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 Richland County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Richland County (2023)
Federal priority area: South Carolina is one of the U.S. jurisdictions prioritized under the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative: targeted federal funding to expand local HIV testing, PrEP, and prevention.
People living with HIV
847 / 100k
New diagnoses (2023)
116cases countywide
On PrEP (coverage)
35.7%
Richland County HIV care continuum (2023)
Richland County recorded 32.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 18.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Richland County residents living with HIV, 82% are in care · 70.6% 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.
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 Richland 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 →
Eagle Park sits at the younger, renter-heavy end of Columbia's residential spectrum, where households of three or more share space on month-to-month budgets and most adults are working, job-seeking, or juggling both at once. With more than half of Columbia's residents renting rather than owning, and typical rents clustering around the low nine-hundreds, discretionary spending on health appointments competes directly with fixed costs every month. That financial pressure is especially real for the under-35 crowd, who make up nearly half the city's population and are at the stage of life, new relationships, shifting partners, first jobs without solid benefits, where routine STI screening matters most but tends to fall last on the list.
The workforce picture sharpens this. A meaningful share of Columbia's labor force works schedules that don't bend easily for a midweek clinic visit, and an unemployment rate that reflects genuine economic churn means some residents are between the insurance coverage that makes preventive care feel affordable. Tanglewood and Windsor Lake Park households run large by national standards, which often means one car, shared childcare logistics, and appointments that require real coordination to reach.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Columbia, SC
Walkability9.44 / 20 · Below average
At 9.44/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Columbia 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.
Columbia sits in Richland County. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Sesquicentennial State Park
US Army Chaplain Museum
77th Inf Division
102nd Cavalry
87th Inf Division
Patriot Park
Neighborhoods & communities
Eagle Park
Tanglewood
Rockbridge
Hampton Trace
Windsor Lake Park
Wedgewood
Brandywine
Windsor Estates
Major routes
I 77 (William Earle Berne Beltway)
Nearby cities & towns
STD testing near Columbia, SC
Just outside Columbia? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Columbia, SC: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Richland County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under South Carolina 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 Columbia-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 Columbia 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 South CarolinaMinor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on South Carolina 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 South Carolina, 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)
South Carolina 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.
