Hays County reports about 472 chlamydia cases per 100,000 residents. If you need testing after a possible exposure or as part of routine care in Bear Creek, Texas, consider the trade-offs between community and public clinics, which are often low-cost or free, and private labs, which tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. Check the options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Bear Creek, TX. The nearest, Quest Diagnostics, is about 3.6 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.
CommUnityCare Oak Hill, Austin, welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Sliding-scale fees tied to income make a visit to this federally qualified health center workable for most budgets, and a single visit can cover testing for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
CommUnityCare Health Centers in Austin covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, TB, and HIV testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and a sliding-scale fee that extends to no charge. Appointment required.
A bill that arrives after care ends can quietly derail follow-through, a prescription left unfilled, a follow-up skipped. At CommUnityCare Health Centers in Austin, every service, from the initial test through treatment, PrEP, and vaccines, carries no charge, so the care that starts in the room is the care that actually gets completed.
CommUnityCare Health Centers in Austin provides care in Spanish and offers interpretation across other languages: meaning a patient discussing PrEP, a positive syphilis result, or medication adherence can work through every detail in the language that makes clinical reasoning clear, without a lag or a filtered exchange.
CommUnityCare Health Centers in Austin prescribes and manages both PrEP, typically daily oral tenofovir-based regimens, and PEP, with the ongoing lab monitoring (HIV testing, kidney function, STI screening) that both protocols require built directly into clinic appointments rather than outsourced to a separate provider.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Center for Health Empowerment in Sunset Valley requires an appointment, so scheduling is the first step, but that visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and HIV testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, and PrEP, all at no charge to anyone who walks through the door.
Plenty of clinics run gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, then leave herpes off the table entirely. Center for Health Empowerment tests for herpes alongside the core four, so a single appointment produces a genuinely complete picture rather than a partial one.
PrEP at Center for Health Empowerment means an actual prescription: clinicians assess eligibility, write the script, and monitor ongoing use. PEP is similarly available through the clinic's own providers, keeping both prevention pathways inside the same appointment structure rather than requiring outside coordination.
Fee schedules, even sliding-scale ones, still ask something of most people. Center for Health Empowerment operates on donations and charges nothing for any service, so the full scope of testing, treatment, and prevention prescriptions is available without a cost calculation at any point.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 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 4 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Bear Creek, 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 Hays 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.
7900 Fm 1826-Lab, Austin, TX 78737
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
333 East Highway 290 Suite 350, Dripping Springs, TX 78620
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
4100 Everett Suite 400, Kyle, TX 78640
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Bear Creek. 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, 1,512 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Bear Creek. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 601 offer telehealth.
Michael Russell, DO
Family medicine · 8517 Fm, Austin
Delaine Mueller, MD
Family medicine · 12400 West Hwy 290, Austin
Aditya Gupta, MD
Internal medicine · 7900 Fm, Austin
Sayf Yassin, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 7900 Fm, Austin
Radha Mahale, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 9521 West US Hwy 290 105, Austin
Kevin Lewis, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 13830 Sawyer Ranch Road, Dripping Springs
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 Bear Creek, 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.
1.2 mi 
2.6 mi Solutions Pharmacy
3.6 miShowing the 3 closest pharmacies to Bear Creek, 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 Bear Creek, 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 Hays County, the county that includes Bear Creek, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~12% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#50 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 80% of the state
| Infection | Hays County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 472.4 1,325 cases ▼ 4% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 159.4 447 cases ▼ 10% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 14.6 41 cases ▼ 3% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 13.5 38 cases ▼ 49% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 19.6 55 cases ▼ 56% | 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 Hays County, chlamydia has risen from 448.4 to 472.4 per 100,000 (5%), gonorrhea has risen from 153.5 to 159.4 per 100,000 (4%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 6.6 to 14.6 per 100,000 (121%).
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 Hays County.
Local HIV snapshot
Hays County HIV care continuum (2023)
Hays County recorded 13.9 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Hays County residents living with HIV, 83.3% are in care · 71.8% 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 Hays County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
The timber and landscape work that sustains much of Bear Creek draws crews who move between job sites and live in neighborhoods like Appaloosa Run and Smokey Mountain Oaks: the kind of life where health appointments slot in around schedules, and privacy in medical decisions feels earned, not granted. Routine STI screening fits into that rhythm: straightforward, quick, and separate from workplace talk or neighborhood gossip. A number of young adults in their late teens through thirties live and work across the area, years when regular testing becomes part of staying aware of your own status. Testing clinics and urgent-care facilities in and around Bear Creek handle screening during hours that don't demand you take a full day off. Results come back to you directly, without automatic forwarding to employers, schools, or family members.
That boundary holds unless you choose otherwise. The providers listed on this page offer walk-in visits or scheduled appointments, and staff understand that the question of "where did you get tested" stays between you and the clinic. Bear Creek residents who want screening nearby have access without lengthy drives toward the larger towns in Hays County. Whether you're checking in as part of routine care or following a specific concern, the testing available locally meets the same standards as anywhere else, with the added ease of knowing the geography and the people who work there.
Getting there
At 7.12/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Bear Creek 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 78737 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 78737 area around Bear Creek: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Bear Creek alone.
Bear Creek sits in Hays County, ZIP 78737. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Bear Creek? 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 Hays 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 a Bear Creek-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 Bear Creek 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.
The closest is Quest Diagnostics (3.6 mi); 7 options are within 30 miles.
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 472 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Texas average.
Yes, at-home kits ship to 78737; you collect a sample, mail it back, and get results in about 2–5 days.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
In Texas, 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, most chlamydia infections cause no symptoms, so screening is the only reliable way to catch it.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.