In Hancock County, Mississippi, about 15 new HIV diagnoses happen annually for every 100,000 residents. If you've had a recent risk or simply test regularly in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, consider your scheduling needs: some options let you walk in the same day, while others allow you to choose your own time. See your options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Bay St. Louis, MS. The nearest, Coastal Family Health Center, is about 1.7 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.
Coastal Family Health Center in Bay St. Louis runs STI care through a family practice model, accepting Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance alongside a sliding scale: making the full panel, from gonorrhea and syphilis to herpes and hepatitis, available regardless of coverage. Care is delivered in Spanish.
Coastal Family Health Center conducts care in Spanish, not through a workaround, but as a standing clinical capability. For someone navigating an STI conversation, a PrEP prescription, or treatment follow-up without fluent English, that means the clinical relationship itself functions in their language, from intake through medication counseling.
Coastal Family Health Center prescribes and manages both PrEP and PEP directly, meaning the same appointment that tests you can initiate daily oral PrEP, with ongoing monitoring handled within the same practice rather than handed off to a separate provider. Continuity of that prescription lives here.
For someone without a primary care relationship, and therefore without a physician who routinely orders the broader labs, Coastal Family Health Center's panel covers herpes simplex alongside hepatitis A, B, and C testing, infections that often go unchecked when care is episodic. The sliding scale keeps that fuller picture affordable.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Mississippi State Department of Health in Bay Saint Louis runs STI testing through the infrastructure of a public health department, meaning gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing share space with TB screening, family planning, and immunizations. All on a sliding-scale basis, no appointment needed.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 2 miles from Bay St. Louis. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Singing River, in Gulfport, runs STI care through a full-service clinical model: rapid and conventional HIV testing, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and TB, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, walk-ins welcome, and fees scaled to income with Medicaid and Medicare accepted.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Ochsner Health Center in Slidell brings STI testing through its established clinical infrastructure, covering the standard bacterial and viral panel on a sliding-scale fee (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV) with appointments required and same-visit treatment available for bacterial infections.
Ochsner Slidell runs herpes serology, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C antibody testing as integrated orders alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Meaning a single appointment can produce results across all seven infections rather than requiring separate referrals for the viral components.
Spanish-language services at Ochsner Health Center are built into the clinical staff, so counseling, symptom review, and treatment instructions are conducted directly in Spanish. The same provider interaction, without routing through a secondary layer.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 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 about 2 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Bay St. Louis, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Hancock 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.
149 Drinkwater Boulevard, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
290 Hancock Square Drive, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520
CMS-certified lab
45000 East Aloha Dr Suite C, Diamondhead, MS 39525
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 St. Louis. 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, 271 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Bay St. Louis. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 75 offer telehealth.
Bertin Chevis, MD
Family medicine · 849 Hwy 90, Bay Saint Louis
Robert Burns, MD
Internal medicine · 952 Green Meadow Road, Bay St Louis
Christie Theriot, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 149 Drinkwater Road, Bay Saint Louis
Robert Ordonez, MD
Family medicine · 149 Drinkwater Road, Bay Saint Louis
Daniel Mokry, MD
OB-GYN · 149 Drinkwater Road, Bay Saint Louis
James Crittenden, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1009 Benigno Lane, Bay Saint Louis
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 St. Louis, MS 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.
1.5 mi 
1.5 mi 
1.6 mi Coastal Family Health Center
1.6 miShowing the 4 closest pharmacies to Bay St. Louis, MS.
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 St. Louis, 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 $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
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 Hancock County, the county that includes Bay St. Louis, compare with Mississippi and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~16% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#75 of 82 Mississippi counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 9% of the state
| Infection | Hancock County | Mississippi | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 327.1 151 cases ▼ 53% | 700.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 114.8 53 cases ▼ 54% | 251.1 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 4.3 2 cases ▼ 86% | 30.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 2.2 1 cases ▼ 87% | 16.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 19.5 9 cases ▼ 70% | 64.8 | 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 Hancock County, chlamydia has fallen from 382.2 to 327.1 per 100,000 (14%), gonorrhea has fallen from 264.9 to 114.8 per 100,000 (57%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 6.5 to 4.3 per 100,000 (34%).
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 Hancock County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Mississippi 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.
Hancock County HIV care continuum (2023)
Hancock County recorded 14.9 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 21.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Hancock County residents living with HIV, 75.3% are in care · 64.5% 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 Hancock County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Bay Saint Louis, where modest home values and rents well below the national average shape a community where most residents own their homes, carries a quieter financial pressure than those numbers alone suggest. With fewer than one in six households bringing in six figures, many families here are managing on middle or working-class incomes, and even a modestly priced clinic visit can become something that gets weighed against other obligations. That calculus hits hardest for young adults in their late teens and twenties, a group that sees disproportionately high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea and that often skips screening not from indifference but because cost and scheduling feel like genuine obstacles. Labor-force participation here is noticeably lower than national norms, which means a portion of residents are either caregiving, between jobs, or outside the formal workforce entirely, schedules that rarely match the Monday-through-Friday clinic window.
Louis and the surrounding Hancock County area, include sliding-scale and low-cost sites that can fit into the kind of day that doesn't run on a predictable nine-to-five. Waveland and the neighborhoods clustered near Martin Luther King Jr. Park sit within a county where STI rates are tracked and reported at levels that make routine screening genuinely useful, not precautionary theater. Knowing which nearby option takes your insurance, or waives the fee, is the concrete first step.
Getting there
At 3.77/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Bay St. Louis 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 39520 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 39520 area around Bay St. Louis: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Bay St. Louis alone.
Bay St. Louis sits in Hancock County, ZIP 39520. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Bay St. Louis? 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 Hancock County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Mississippi 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 St. Louis-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 St. Louis 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Mississippi 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 MississippiSource: 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, Gulfport, MS is close; compare it by distance against Coastal Family Health Center.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, Mississippi State Department of Health (1.7 mi) offers free testing, and public clinics serve the uninsured.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 327 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Mississippi average.
Yes, at-home kits ship to 39520; you collect a sample, mail it back, and get results in about 2–5 days.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Mississippi, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, HSV-1 from the mouth can spread to the genital area through oral sex.
It's cured with antibiotics; treating partners together prevents reinfection.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.