New HIV diagnoses in Hidalgo County run about 12% higher than the US average. Getting tested before starting a new relationship or as part of ongoing care in Alton, Texas, might involve going to a clinic to speak with a provider, or ordering an at-home kit for convenient sample collection.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Alton, TX. The nearest, Nuestra Clinica del Valle - Alton II, 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.
Nuestra Clinica del Valle - Alton II, in Mission, scales its fees to each patient's income. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening that covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia through its federally qualified health center standing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Nuestra Clinica del Valle - Memorial, in Mission, earns its federally qualified standing partly by tying fees to income, so anyone walking in for syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia screening pays on a sliding scale, no appointment required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Nuestra Clinica del Valle in Mission runs on appointments, so scheduling ahead means walking in with a confirmed slot for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, and HIV testing: bacterial infections treated the same visit, fees on a sliding scale accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance.
Plenty of clinics stock a bilingual staff member for intake and lean on workarounds from there. At Nuestra Clinica del Valle, Spanish is the operating language of the clinic itself: counseling, results, and treatment conversations happen in Spanish as the default, not the accommodation.
When substance-use treatment lives somewhere else entirely, the gap between an STI visit and actual behavioral-health support can stretch into weeks, or collapse into nothing. Nuestra Clinica del Valle carries both services, so what might otherwise become an incomplete care picture stays consolidated in one place.
Leaving herpes off a standard panel means a patient who needs it faces a separate appointment, a separate provider, and a real delay in knowing. Nuestra Clinica del Valle includes herpes testing alongside gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV. Closing that gap before it opens.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
ASAS Health in Mission tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis A, B, and C, and tuberculosis, with fees on a sliding scale that accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Appointments are required, and bacterial STIs are treated the same visit.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Hidalgo County Health and Human Services in Mission runs by appointment, so scheduling ahead is the entry point: once in, a single visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, and hepatitis C testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, HPV and hepatitis A/B vaccines, and fees on a sliding scale.
Plenty of STI clinics test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, and stop there. Hidalgo County Health and Human Services adds herpes and hepatitis C to the panel, meaning infections that often go undetected elsewhere get named and addressed here, not discovered by accident months later.
Without Spanish-language care on-site at Hidalgo County Health and Human Services, a nuanced conversation about symptoms, exposure, or treatment becomes something routed through a second appointment or left incomplete, and an incomplete conversation can mean a missed diagnosis. Spanish isn't an accommodation here; it's the operational language of the clinic.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · 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 less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Alton, 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 value: single tests
$49 & 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 Hidalgo 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.
317 East Dukakis Avenue, Alton, TX 78573
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
3012 East Main Ave Suite F, Alton, TX 78573
CMS-certified lab
8115 North Los Ebanos Road, Suite 3, Alton, TX 78573
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
3509 East Main Ave #101, Alton, TX 78573
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
1315 West Main Sute 13-A, Alton, TX 78573
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Alton. 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, 358 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Alton. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 79 offer telehealth.
Fuad Zayed, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 3012 East Main Avenue, Alton
Jose Lopez, MD
Family medicine · 3509 East Main Avenue, Alton
Pablo Olmedo, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 4213 West Mile 5 Road, Mission
David Mayorga, MD Telehealth
Infectious disease · 1022 East Griffin Parkway, Mission
Mario Anzaldua, MD
Family medicine · 1512 East Griffin Parkway, Mission
Roberto Lopez, MD
Family medicine · 1400 West Griffin Park, Mission
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 Alton, TX 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.
Apple Pharmacy
0.2 miHealth Plus Pharmacy
1.1 miRichard's Pharmacy
1.8 miSt Marie Clinic Pa Pharmacy
1.9 miWell-Care Pharmacy & Dme
2.0 mi
2.1 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Alton, TX.
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 Alton, 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
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 Hidalgo County, the county that includes Alton, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~34% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#78 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 69% of the state
| Infection | Hidalgo County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 392.2 3,524 cases ▼ 20% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 82.8 744 cases ▼ 53% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 9.3 84 cases ▼ 38% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 13.5 121 cases ▼ 49% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 32.7 294 cases ▼ 26% | 44.3 | 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 Hidalgo County, chlamydia has risen from 358.4 to 392.2 per 100,000 (9%), gonorrhea has risen from 71.1 to 82.8 per 100,000 (16%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.8 to 9.3 per 100,000 (145%).
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 Hidalgo County.
Local HIV snapshot
Hidalgo County HIV care continuum (2023)
Hidalgo County recorded 15.3 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Hidalgo County residents living with HIV, 77.3% are in care · 71.4% 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 Hidalgo County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
TX 107 stretches through the middle of Alton, and reaching any of the testing options listed on this page means committing to a real drive, time carved from a workday or weekend rather than a spare lunch hour. That access reality lands differently in a place where unemployment runs well above national norms and where roughly two in three households own their home, many at values that leave little room for unexpected costs. The typical rent here sits well under most Texas metros, which speaks to the economic gravity of this corner of Hidalgo County, and with nearly seven in ten residents holding down a mortgage on modest home values, an out-of-pocket clinic fee can feel like a real calculation, not an afterthought.
Alton's household structure is worth holding in mind. Average households here run to four people or more, and nearly half of adults are married, which means STI screening touches shared health, not just individual choices. Young adults in their late teens and twenties make up a substantial slice of the population, the years when new partnerships form and testing is clinically most consequential, and they live inside those same large, often multigenerational households along colonias like Los Ebanos Estates and Basham Number 2.
For families organized around FM 681 or the North Conway Avenue corridor, screening that fits around one earner's schedule, or one vehicle shared across four people, is the version that actually gets used. Testing here is a household matter as much as a personal one.
Getting there
At 5.13/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Alton 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 78573 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 78573 area around Alton: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Alton alone.
Alton sits in Hidalgo County, ZIP 78573. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Alton? 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 Hidalgo County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas 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 Alton-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 Alton 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 Texas 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 Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Texas 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 TexasSource: 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.
Possibly, McAllen, TX is close; compare it by distance against Nuestra Clinica del Valle - Alton II.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Yes, public clinics in the area offer free or low-cost testing.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 392 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Texas average.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, partners should test and be treated together to avoid passing it back and forth.
You self-collect a sample at home, mail it in, and view results online, no clinic visit needed.
Resistance is rising, which is why the CDC advises a particular treatment; don't self-treat, get tested and treated correctly.
Likely yes, if you were past the window period; otherwise retest, and keep up routine screening with new partners.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.