Gonorrhea in Contra Costa County runs about 29% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or simply test regularly in Acalanes Ridge, California, your options include community clinics and private labs, balancing cost and scheduling flexibility. Below are your options for STI testing.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Acalanes Ridge, CA. The nearest, Planned Parenthood Northern California, is about 0.7 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.
Planned Parenthood Northern California in Walnut Creek accepts Medicaid, most insurance, and applies a sliding scale to every fee level: opening the full panel of HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis B and C to anyone regardless of what they can pay. Appointments required; bacterial STIs treated same visit.
When a patient can't fully express symptoms or understand a diagnosis, STIs go undertreated and follow-up falls apart. Planned Parenthood Northern California Walnut Creek delivers care in Spanish and through interpretation services for other languages, so nothing critical gets lost between the exam room and the treatment plan.
Without Title X protections, a minor seeking STI testing or family planning faces disclosure risks that can stop care before it starts. As a Title X clinic, Planned Parenthood Northern California in Walnut Creek is legally bound to keep those services confidential: the care happens, and the record stays private.
Planned Parenthood Northern California Walnut Creek prescribes and manages both PrEP, including coverage for uninsured patients, and PEP directly, meaning the medications, monitoring labs, and follow-up cycles are handled within the same clinic rather than handed off. Uninsured patients have a specific cost pathway for PrEP built into the fee structure.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
La Clinica in Concord tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C: the full panel runs on a sliding scale, with every service ultimately provided at no fee; bacterial infections are treated same-visit, and appointments are required.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, La Clinica's panel includes herpes simplex, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. All ordered and resulted within the same clinical encounter. That reach means hepatitis C infection, which can progress silently for years, gets caught and managed here rather than surfaced only if a provider elsewhere thinks to look.
Spanish-language care at La Clinica runs through clinicians and staff who work in the language directly: histories are taken, results explained, and treatment plans laid out in Spanish without relay through a secondary service. That operational staffing keeps clinical nuance intact at every step of the encounter.
La Clinica accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, and runs a sliding-scale fee for everyone else: the structure is built so that the final amount owed, regardless of payer or income, comes to nothing. No service on the panel carries a residual charge once that calculation runs.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Willow Pass Wellness Center in Concord ties STI screening fees to income, so cost never blocks care. Federal qualification backs that sliding-scale commitment. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening, with no one turned away based on ability to pay.
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 Acalanes Ridge, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & up
Best range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 Contra Costa 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.
1450 Treat Boulevard, Suite 160, Walnut Creek, CA 94597
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
2101 Vale Road, Suite 301, San Pablo, CA 94806
CMS-certified lab
2700 Ygnacio Valley Rd Suite 170, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Acalanes Ridge. 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, 4,701 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Acalanes Ridge. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 2,011 offer telehealth.
Belis Aladag, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 2960 Camino Diablo, Walnut Creek
Katrina Groves-Rehwaldt, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 2960 Camino Diablo, Walnut Creek
Montida Fleming, MD
Family medicine · 1357 Oakland Court, Walnut Creek
Alphaeus Wise, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1181 Boulevard Way, Walnut Creek
Manita Nat-Vasilj, MD
OB-GYN · 1655 North California Boulevard, Walnut Creek
Eva Young, DO
OB-GYN · 1515 Newell Avenue, Walnut Creek
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 Acalanes Ridge, CA 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.
0.8 mi 
1.3 mi Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy No 515
1.4 mi
1.5 mi Showing the 4 closest pharmacies to Acalanes Ridge, CA.
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 Acalanes Ridge, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
$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
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 Contra Costa County, the county that includes Acalanes Ridge, compare with California and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~13% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#19 of 58 California counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 67% of the state
| Infection | Contra Costa County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 427.7 4,940 cases ▼ 13% | 491.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 127.9 1,477 cases ▼ 33% | 190.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 13.2 153 cases ▼ 19% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 9 104 cases ▼ 53% | 19.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 22.3 257 cases ▼ 52% | 46.7 | 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.
Between 2020 and 2023 in Contra Costa County, chlamydia has risen from 386.3 to 427.7 per 100,000 (11%), gonorrhea has fallen from 177.7 to 127.9 per 100,000 (28%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 15.5 to 13.2 per 100,000 (15%).
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 Contra Costa County.
Local HIV snapshot
Contra Costa County HIV care continuum (2023)
Contra Costa County recorded 12.7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.9 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Contra Costa County residents living with HIV, 80.2% are in care · 73.4% 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 Contra Costa County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Acalanes Ridge's high homeownership rate suggests a settled, rooted community, and in many ways that's accurate. But stability on paper doesn't dissolve the practical friction points that can make routine screening harder to fit in: a labor-force participation rate below half the adult population, combined with meaningful unemployment, means many residents are navigating irregular schedules, stretched budgets, or both, even in households that look comfortable from the outside. That mix matters for younger adults in their late teens and twenties, the years when STI exposure tends to peak and when testing habits are still being formed. Someone near Walnut Creek or along Ygnacio Valley Road can realistically reach a clinic without a car or a long commute.
The relatively modest typical rent also means cost-per-visit has room to land within reach, rather than competing with housing overhead the way it would in pricier desert markets. What actually shapes whether someone gets tested here is less about awareness and more about whether a clinic's hours survive contact with an unpredictable week. A majority of Acalanes Ridge households clear six figures annually, but that income isn't evenly distributed, and the households that aren't there are precisely the ones where a no-cost or low-cost walk-in option near I 680 stops being a convenience and starts being the only workable path.
Getting there
Acalanes Ridge scores 14.22/20 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 94597 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 94597 area around Acalanes Ridge: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Acalanes Ridge alone.
Acalanes Ridge sits in Contra Costa County, ZIP 94597. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Acalanes Ridge? 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 Contra Costa County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under California 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 an Acalanes Ridge-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 Acalanes Ridge 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 California 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 California, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
California 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 CaliforniaSource: 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.
There are 7 options within a 30-mile drive.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
Yes, free HIV testing is available at public clinics in the area.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Contra Costa County reported ~428 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the California average.
At-home kits mail to 94597: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In California, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.