The rate of syphilis in Crawford County is about 33% higher than the national US average. If you need testing in Alma, Arkansas, whether after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, you might consider both local clinics and private labs. Clinics often offer low-cost or free testing, while private labs often provide faster results and more flexible scheduling.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Alma, AR. The nearest, Baptist Health Regional Hospitals, is about 0.4 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 community safety-net rural health clinic in Alma. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Mercy in Van Buren runs on a sliding-scale fee structure and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance, covering the full standard panel (HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB) with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections. Appointments are required.
Mercy carries DoxyPEP as part of its ongoing prevention services, useful for anyone without a regular prescriber who needs the medication and wants to handle it on a sliding-scale fee rather than through a separate specialist visit. The prescription is managed directly at this clinic.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, Mercy's panel runs serology for herpes simplex and antibody and antigen testing across hepatitis A, B, and C: distinct blood draws evaluated through the clinic's own ordering pipeline, not screened in one pass and stopped there.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Arkansas Department of Health's Van Buren clinic delivers STI testing through public health infrastructure built to cover more than the basics: the panel runs from gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and conventional HIV through hepatitis C, with treatment for bacterial infections at the same visit, sliding-scale fees, and appointments required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Baptist Health in Van Buren requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead shapes your visit: though once you're there, a single session covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, rapid and conventional HIV, hepatitis B and C, same-visit bacterial treatment, and HPV and hepatitis A vaccines on a sliding-scale fee.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jun 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
River Valley Primary Care Services in Mulberry weaves STI testing into ongoing primary care, so gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C sit alongside routine health visits. All on a sliding-scale fee, with bacterial infections treated the same day by appointment.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
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 Alma, 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 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 Crawford 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.
211 Crawford Memorial Drive, Van Buren, AR 72956
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
620 Broadway, Van Buren, AR 72956
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 2 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Alma. 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, 257 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Alma. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 50 offer telehealth.
Jeffrey Medlock, MD
Family medicine · 937 Hwy 64 East, Alma
Robert Bishop, MD
Family medicine · 825 Hwy 71 North, Alma
Jerry Cavaneau, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1414 Hwy 71 North, Alma
Nitin Gopinath, MD
Family medicine · 4219 Pinehood Circle, Alma
Brent Witherington, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 3103 Alma Highway, Van Buren
Eric Nguyen, MD
Family medicine · 211 Crawford Memorial Drive, Van Buren
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 Alma, AR 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.
0.5 mi 
0.6 mi Coleman Pharmacy of Alma
0.9 miPrice Cutter Pharmacy 352
7.1 miGenoa Healthcare
7.3 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Alma, AR.
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 Alma, 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 $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
$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
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 Crawford County, the county that includes Alma, compare with Arkansas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~24% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#49 of 75 Arkansas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 35% of the state
| Infection | Crawford County | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 311.8 193 cases ▼ 46% | 579.6 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 61.4 38 cases ▼ 68% | 193.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 21 13 cases ▼ 28% | 29.2 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 17.8 11 cases ▲ 3% | 17.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 14.5 9 cases ▼ 70% | 48 | 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 Crawford County, chlamydia has risen from 286 to 311.8 per 100,000 (9%), gonorrhea has fallen from 136.4 to 61.4 per 100,000 (55%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 10 to 21 per 100,000 (110%).
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 Crawford County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Arkansas 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.
Crawford County HIV care continuum (2023)
Crawford County recorded 9.7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Crawford County residents living with HIV, 45.5% are in care · 31.8% 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 Crawford County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
At $615 a month, rent in Alma leaves little slack for anything that feels optional, and a screening visit, without the right clinic, can feel exactly that way. When most households aren't pulling six figures and nearly half of residents are renters rather than owners, an unexpected co-pay or a half-day off work carries real weight. That cost pressure is exactly why the fee structures and sliding-scale options listed in the clinic cards above matter more here than the raw number of locations might suggest. Getting to those locations takes some planning. Manageable, but only if the hours line up with a schedule that's already stretched.
With six in ten residents in the labor force and unemployment sitting above the state average, the window for a weekday appointment can be narrow. Younger adults, people in their late teens and twenties navigating new relationships and often working variable hours, are the ones for whom that scheduling math most often doesn't add up, even when the intention to get tested is firmly there. The options catalogued here are a genuine asset for a town Alma's size. Whether you're near Lake Alma Park or out past the Historic Homesteads, at least one of those clinics is likely to match both your side of town and your pay period.
Getting there
At 4.69/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Alma 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 72921 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 72921 area around Alma: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Alma alone.
Alma sits in Crawford County, ZIP 72921. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Alma? 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 Crawford County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Arkansas 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 Alma-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 Alma 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Arkansas 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 ArkansasSource: 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.
Crawford County reported ~312 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Arkansas average.
At-home kits mail to 72921: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
In Arkansas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
Reassuring if you tested after the window, just retest if it was early, and screen again with new partners.
Yes, site matters; oral/anal exposure needs a throat or rectal swab, which urine testing won't catch.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.