In Craighead County, new HIV diagnoses run about 32% higher than the US average. No matter whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Bay, Arkansas, there are trade-offs between low-cost public options and faster results from private labs. Find your best fit in the list below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Bay, AR. The nearest, Arkansas Department of Health, is about 5.4 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.
Sliding-scale fees and both Medicaid and private insurance are accepted at Arkansas Department of Health in Trumann, which runs a panel covering HIV (rapid and conventional), syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis C, and TB. With same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs. Appointments are required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
East Arkansas Family Health Center in Trumann accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with sliding-scale fees for those who need them. Testing covers HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and TB, with STI treatment and HPV and hepatitis A and B vaccines available; an appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
ARcare in Jonesboro runs on a sliding-scale fee and accepts Medicaid and private insurance, covering the full panel (rapid and conventional HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, plus TB) with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs and appointments required.
A positive hepatitis C antibody with no treatment attached means months of specialist hunting, insurance navigation, and a virus that keeps advancing in the meantime. ARcare in Jonesboro closes that gap, hepatitis C treatment happens at the same clinic that ran the test, so a confirmed diagnosis moves directly into a care plan.
ARcare in Jonesboro prescribes both PrEP and PEP, including a dedicated path for uninsured patients to access PrEP. Meaning ongoing HIV prevention doesn't stall because of coverage gaps.
Without on-site interpretation, a patient leaves ARcare in Jonesboro with a diagnosis but no real grasp of their treatment plan. A gap that drives missed doses and untreated partners. Interpretation services are part of the visit itself, so medication adherence counseling and STI education land with full clinical weight.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 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 about 5 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Bay, 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.
Also in the area
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Craighead 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.
2231 Hill Park Cove, Jonesboro, AR 72401
CMS-certified lab
225 East Washington Avenue, Jonesboro, AR 72401
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
411 East Matthews Avenue, Jonesboro, AR 72401
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 Bay. 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, 225 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Bay. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 29 offer telehealth.
John Dow, MD
Family medicine · 1300 Industrial Park Drive, Trumann
Leslye Mcgrath, MD
Family medicine · 516 Industrial Park Drive, Trumann
Carol Whitehorn, DO
Family medicine · 417 West Main Street, Trumann
Danny Grubbs, MD
Internal medicine · 3202 Methodist Drive, Jonesboro
Trent Lamb, MD
Family medicine · 2205 West Parker Road, Jonesboro
Mark Stripling, MD
OB-GYN · 3003 Apache Drive, Jonesboro
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 Bay, 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.
4.2 mi Price Chopper Pharmacy
4.5 miJimmmys Pharmacy
4.6 miThe Daily Dose
5.0 miExpress RX of Trumann
5.0 miAllcare Pharmacy
5.8 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Bay, 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 Bay, 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.
$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
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
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 Craighead County, the county that includes Bay, compare with Arkansas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~22% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#14 of 75 Arkansas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 81% of the state
| Infection | Craighead County | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 807.9 921 cases ▲ 39% | 579.6 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 289.5 330 cases ▲ 50% | 193.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 26.3 30 cases ▼ 10% | 29.2 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 23.7 27 cases ▲ 37% | 17.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 29.8 34 cases ▼ 38% | 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 Craighead County, chlamydia has risen from 717.4 to 807.9 per 100,000 (13%), gonorrhea has fallen from 342.5 to 289.5 per 100,000 (15%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 12.6 to 26.3 per 100,000 (109%).
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 Craighead 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.
Craighead County HIV care continuum (2023)
Craighead County recorded 18.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Craighead County residents living with HIV, 33.3% are in care · 25.9% 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 Craighead County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
The I-555 Joe N Martin Expressway is the practical lifeline out of Bay toward Jonesboro, and for anyone who needs a clinic visit, that drive is the reality. No sidewalk will get you there. Bay leans toward homeownership, which speaks to a settled, community-rooted population, but nearly four in ten residents rent, and at a typical rent of around $717 a month, discretionary spending on health appointments competes with other fixed costs. That pressure is real for households where unemployment runs higher than the state norm, and where just over half the adult population is in the labor force: meaning schedules can be erratic, income unpredictable, and a weekday clinic trip genuinely hard to arrange. Craighead County's STI rates give context to why accessible screening matters: young adults in their late teens and twenties represent a meaningful slice of Bay's residents, and they're the people most likely to benefit from low-barrier options.
The twelve choices listed on this page cover a range of hours and costs precisely because a single inconvenient option often goes unused when the drive is already a commitment. Bay's average household runs nearly three people, and nearly half of adults are married. Meaning sexual health decisions frequently involve partners and shared schedules. A test booked around a shift or a school pickup, with the nearest option flagged clearly, is simply one less thing left unresolved.
Getting there
At 5.71/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Bay 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 72411 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 72411 area around Bay: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Bay alone.
Bay sits in Craighead County, ZIP 72411. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Bay? 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 Craighead 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 a Bay-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 Bay 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.
Possibly, Jonesboro, AR is close; compare it by distance against Arkansas Department of Health.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
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 808 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the Arkansas average.
In Arkansas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
Yes, from a reputable lab, confirm any positive with a clinician for treatment.
Yes, partners should test and be treated together to avoid passing it back and forth.
Roughly 3–6 weeks after exposure for a dependable syphilis blood test.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.