Tuscola County reports gonorrhea 88% lower than the US average. People in Akron, Michigan getting an STI test, whether it's your first or routine, have options like clinics that may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, and private labs with flat self-pay prices. Use the list below to weigh your choices.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Akron, MI. The nearest, McLaren Caro Region, is about 7.3 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.
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 7 miles from Akron. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Tuscola County Health Department in Caro runs on appointments and covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, rapid and conventional HIV, hepatitis B and C, and TB testing in a single visit. With bacterial STIs treated the same day and all services provided at no fee.
Every service at Tuscola County Health Department (testing, treatment, vaccines, counseling) carries no charge, which means the decision to come in, follow up, or get vaccinated never gets weighed against a bill.
As a Title X clinic, Tuscola County Health Department is legally required to provide confidential family planning services to minors: meaning those services are documented, counseled, and delivered without parental disclosure, structured by federal statute rather than clinic policy.
Tuscola County Health Department tests for hepatitis B and hepatitis C alongside the core bacterial and HIV panel, so a single appointment produces a fuller picture of bloodborne exposure. Without scheduling a separate visit elsewhere.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A safety-net rural health clinic about 8 miles from Akron. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
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 about 7 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Akron, 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 value: single tests
$49 & up
Best for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Tuscola 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.
4675 Hill Street, Cass City, MI 48726
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
2050 East Caro Road, Caro, MI 48723
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
401 North Hooper Street, Caro, MI 48723
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Akron. 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, 853 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Akron. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 175 offer telehealth.
Roberta Weiss, NP Telehealth
Nurse practitioner · 1070 East Caro Road, Caro
Jennifer Dinsmoore, NP Telehealth
Nurse practitioner · 1070 Caro Road, Caro
Valorie Cook Telehealth
Nurse practitioner · 1184 Cleaver Road, Caro
Tammy Jurgess, NP
Nurse practitioner · 130 Millwood Street, Caro
Heather Fryers
Nurse practitioner · 1332 Prospect Avenue, Caro
Courtney Topp, NP
Nurse practitioner · 1525 West Caro Road, Caro
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 Akron, MI 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.
Wrigley's Pharmacy 1
8.0 miState Street Pharmacy & Wellness Center
8.0 miPerry Drug Stores and Subsidiaries
8.0 miBasit Pharmacy
8.1 mi
8.1 mi Hrldz Management
8.1 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Akron, MI.
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 Akron, 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.
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
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
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 Tuscola County, the county that includes Akron, compare with Michigan and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~29% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#52 of 83 Michigan counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 37% of the state
| Infection | Tuscola County | Michigan | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 172.3 91 cases ▼ 60% | 429.5 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 20.8 11 cases ▼ 86% | 152.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | — no data | 8.4 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 1.9 1 cases ▼ 78% | 8.7 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | — no data | 13 | 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 Tuscola County, chlamydia has fallen from 206.3 to 172.3 per 100,000 (16%), gonorrhea has fallen from 33.8 to 20.8 per 100,000 (38%), and P&S syphilis has held roughly steady from 1.9 to 1.9 per 100,000.
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 Tuscola County.
Local HIV snapshot
Tuscola County HIV care continuum (2023)
Tuscola County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 8.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Tuscola County residents living with HIV, 88.2% are in care · 82.4% 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 Tuscola County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
M-138 threads through Akron's quiet residential blocks where most households own their homes and have for years, the kind of settled, multigenerational town where people tend to stay. That stability is real, but it means the younger adults here, people in their late teens and twenties building relationships and navigating life changes, often do so without much infrastructure aimed at them. With unemployment running notably higher than typical small-town benchmarks and household incomes concentrated well below the middle, the $638 median rent and modest home values tell the story of a community where discretionary spending, including anything that feels optional, gets scrutinized. Routine STI screening can quietly fall into that "optional" category even when it shouldn't.
The household profile here (larger average households, nearly half of adults married) suggests a community of established families, not the transient rental churn of a college town. But younger adults are still here, still forming relationships, and still face the same biological realities that make regular screening genuinely important in those years. What actually shapes whether testing happens in Akron is geography. Knowing exactly which clinic fits your schedule before you get in the car is the difference between a trip that happens on Thursday and one that keeps getting postponed.
Getting there
At 3.9/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Akron 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 48701 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 48701 area around Akron: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Akron alone.
Akron sits in Tuscola County, ZIP 48701. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Akron? 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 Tuscola County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Michigan 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 Akron-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 Akron 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 Michigan 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 Michigan, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Michigan 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 MichiganSource: 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.
McLaren Caro Region, about 7.3 mi away, with 6 options within 30 miles.
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.
Tuscola County reported ~172 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Michigan average.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In Michigan, 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.
Reputable kits use the same lab methods as clinics; any positive should be confirmed and treated by a provider.
Often, yes, especially throat and rectal infections, which is why site-specific testing matters.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.