Chlamydia rates in Hardin County are about 50% lower than the US average. If you need STI testing in Alger, Ohio, whether for a possible exposure or routine care, you can consider public clinics for lower costs, private labs for faster results, or at-home kits for convenience. Your options are listed below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Alger, OH. The nearest, Health Partners of Western Ohio, is about 13.2 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.
Health Partners of Western Ohio in Kenton tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and hepatitis C, treating bacterial infections the same visit. Fees run on a sliding scale accepted by Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurers. An appointment is required.
Health Partners prescribes and monitors PrEP: meaning the lab work, follow-up visits, and prescription renewals happen here, not across multiple providers. PEP is also available, handled by the same clinical staff who manage the rest of your prevention plan.
For someone without a specialist or a primary care relationship, having hepatitis C treatment, not just the antibody test, available at Health Partners of Western Ohio closes a gap that sends most people chasing separate appointments. The clinic carries the full arc from diagnosis through antiviral treatment on-site.
People managing active substance use face compounding health risks that rarely fit neatly into a single-specialty clinic. Health Partners addresses both directly, substance-use treatment runs alongside STI testing and care, so those needs don't have to compete for separate appointments at separate facilities.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Dr. Gene Wright Community Health Center in Lima welcomes patients paying cash, between providers, or working without insurance coverage. Federally qualified status anchors a sliding-scale fee structure tied to income, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening genuinely reachable. No appointment needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Allen County Health Department in Lima requires an appointment, and a single visit covers rapid HIV testing, full bacterial STI panel, TB screening, and same-visit treatment for bacterial infections. All on a sliding scale, with HIV testing offered free.
A cost that stops someone from returning for treatment, or from completing a full panel, is a gap in care itself. Allen County Health Department in Lima eliminates that by providing all services at no fee, so the panel gets run, the prescription gets filled, and nothing goes unfinished because of price.
Allen County Health Department in Lima has interpretation services in place for non-English languages, available at every appointment. For anyone whose primary language isn't English, that standing capability means counseling, treatment decisions, and prevention education all happen with full comprehension, not partial.
Many clinical settings can't guarantee that a minor's STI care or family planning visit stays off a parent's explanation of benefits. Allen County Health Department in Lima operates under Title X, which legally protects the confidentiality of those services for minors. A protection most general practices simply don't carry.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
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 13 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Alger, 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 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.
Local clinicians
Beyond dedicated clinics, 202 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Alger. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 29 offer telehealth.
Lawrence Kuk, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 520 West Lincoln Avenue, Ada
Molly Senokozlieff, MD
OB-GYN · 559 Harmon Road, Bluffton
David Yoder, MD
Family medicine · 161 Garau Street, Bluffton
Desrene Brown, MD Telehealth
OB-GYN · 547 Harmon Road, Bluffton
Angelo Collins, MD
Family medicine · 139 Garau Street, Bluffton
George Adam, MD
Urology · 139 Garau Street, Bluffton
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 Alger, OH 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.
4.0 mi Onu Healthwise Pharmacy
4.2 mi
11 mi 
12 mi Rays Pharmacy and Wellness Center
12 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Alger, OH.
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 Alger, 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
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
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 Hardin County, the county that includes Alger, compare with Ohio and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~28% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#42 of 88 Ohio counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 52% of the state
| Infection | Hardin County | Ohio | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 243.7 74 cases ▼ 47% | 461.7 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 39.5 12 cases ▼ 76% | 168 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 3.3 1 cases ▼ 80% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 3.3 1 cases ▼ 64% | 9.2 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 3.3 1 cases ▼ 79% | 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 Hardin County, chlamydia has fallen from 306.2 to 243.7 per 100,000 (20%), gonorrhea has risen from 39.1 to 39.5 per 100,000 (1%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 6.5 to 3.3 per 100,000 (49%).
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 Hardin County.
Local HIV snapshot
Hardin County HIV care continuum (2021)
Hardin County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2021), against 8.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Hardin County residents living with HIV, 78.9% are in care · 78.9% 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 Hardin County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Winter wind moves straight across Alger's open fields without much to slow it, and that same directness shapes how people here approach their health. Routine STI screening fits naturally into life in a town where affordability matters: testing costs less strain on a tight budget, and knowing your status early costs nothing in peace of mind. The clinics and providers listed on this page serve young adults who've moved here or stayed, a group for whom confidential results mean the ability to make clear decisions about partners and treatment without the weight of small-town visibility.
Getting tested doesn't require a trip to a distant city or a wait that stretches into months. What matters most in Alger is that screening happens quietly and on your own terms, with results that stay between you and the clinic. Whether you're building a life here or passing through, the testing available in and around Alger meets you where straightforwardness and privacy matter equally.
Getting there
At 3.46/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Alger 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 45812 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 45812 area around Alger: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Alger alone.
Alger sits in Hardin County, ZIP 45812. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Alger? 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 Hardin County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Ohio 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 Alger-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 Alger 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 Ohio 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 Ohio, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Ohio 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 OhioSource: 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.
Some clinics and labs take walk-ins for same-day testing; call ahead to confirm hours.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, community and public clinics test the uninsured, with sliding-scale fees.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 244 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Ohio average.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Ohio, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, the CDC recommends STI screening early in pregnancy, since untreated infections can affect the baby.
A clinic offers same-day answers and on-site treatment; an at-home kit trades that for privacy and convenience, both use real lab testing.
Just note your exposure dates and symptoms; for urine tests, hold off urinating ~1 hour before.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.