Gaston County reports syphilis cases running about 68% higher than the US average. If you're in Bessemer City, North Carolina and need testing after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, consider that public clinics keep costs down, private labs prioritize speed, and at-home kits trade a clinic visit for convenience. See the list below for your options.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Bessemer City, NC. The nearest, Kintegra Health, is about 0.2 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.
Kintegra Health in Bessemer City is a community health center where STI care (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis testing) runs on a sliding-scale fee with appointments required; same-visit treatment covers bacterial infections, and Spanish-language services are on staff.
Kintegra Health carries Spanish-language services directly into the clinical encounter, not as an add-on but as part of how HIV test counseling and medication adherence education are delivered. Meaning nuance around PrEP adherence or treatment follow-up doesn't compress into simplified exchanges.
Kintegra Health prescribes and manages both PrEP and PEP directly, including a dedicated pathway covering PrEP costs for uninsured patients, so ongoing prevention doesn't require a separate specialist or a second clinic relationship to sustain.
The panel at Kintegra Health tests for hepatitis A, B, and C alongside herpes, four infections that routinely fall outside a stripped-down four-test screen, which means a single appointment can return a fuller picture without scheduling separate laboratory visits for each.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Kintegra Health Admin - Shannon Bradley, in Gastonia, earned its federal qualification by meeting strict care and access standards, which means STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia is priced on a sliding scale tied to what each patient actually earns.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Kintegra Behavioral Health - Gastonia carries full federally qualified health center standing, which means sliding-scale fees tied to income apply to STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. No appointment needed to get tested.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Kintegra Customer Support in Gastonia carries federally qualified health center standing, which means its STI screening fees follow a sliding scale tied to household income. Walk-in patients can access syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing without an appointment, paying only what their income allows.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Kintegra at CaroMont Womens Health - Ashley, in Gastonia, earns its federal health center designation partly by tying costs to income, so patients paying out of pocket, between coverage gaps, or managing tight budgets can access syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening without a fixed-price barrier.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
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 Bessemer City, 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 Gaston 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.
959 Cox Road, Gastonia, NC 28054
CMS-certified lab
1560 Union Road, Gastonia, NC 28054
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
2544 Court Drive Suite C, Gastonia, NC 28054
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Bessemer City. 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, 1,476 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Bessemer City. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 537 offer telehealth.
Julia Saluke, MD
Family medicine · 214 Cleveland Avenue, Kings Mountain
Jeffrey Carley, MD
Family medicine · 827 East King Street, Kings Mountain
Elizabeth Borders, MD
OB-GYN · 825 East King Street, Kings Mountain
Cornelius Okonkwo, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 2101 West Franklin Boulevard, Gastonia
Temidayo Adelekun, MD
Internal medicine · 407 West King Street, Kings Mountain
Rody Singer, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 706 West King Street, Kings Mountain
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 Bessemer City, NC 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.
Central Drug of Bessemer City
0.1 miRobinson Pharmacy
0.8 mi
0.9 mi Premier Pharmacy and Wellness Center
3.6 mi
3.7 mi 
3.9 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Bessemer City, NC.
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 Bessemer City, 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
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
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 Gaston County, the county that includes Bessemer City, compare with North Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~32% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#32 of 100 North Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 68% of the state
| Infection | Gaston County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 592.2 1,405 cases ▼ 3% | 607.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 249.5 592 cases ▲ 3% | 243.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 26.6 63 cases ▲ 34% | 19.9 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 17.7 42 cases ▲ 12% | 15.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 30.8 73 cases ▲ 28% | 24 | 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 Gaston County, chlamydia has fallen from 686.1 to 592.2 per 100,000 (14%), gonorrhea has fallen from 318.5 to 249.5 per 100,000 (22%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 12.7 to 26.6 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 Gaston County.
Local HIV snapshot
Gaston County HIV care continuum (2023)
Gaston County recorded 18 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 15.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Gaston County residents living with HIV, 84.7% are in care · 74.6% 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 Gaston County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
West Virginia Avenue cuts through the middle of Bessemer City with the matter-of-fact character of a town where home values stay well below six figures and nearly half of all residents rent rather than own. That rent level, modest by any measure, still sits alongside an unemployment picture that leaves a real share of households watching every outgoing dollar, which means a costly or complicated screening visit is one that quietly gets skipped. The neighborhood texture around Ashley Place and Ashley Park reflects the same math: households here run larger than the national average, fewer than one in eight bring in six figures, and just over half the working-age population is in the labor force at any given time.
For younger adults, the people in their late teens and twenties who make up a substantial slice of the city's population and who see the highest rates of new STI diagnoses, a testing option that doesn't require burning half a day or paying out of pocket is the kind of thing that actually changes behavior. Gaston County's STI figures give that real weight.
Getting there
At 6.03/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Bessemer City 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 28016 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 28016 area around Bessemer City: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Bessemer City alone.
Bessemer City sits in Gaston County, ZIP 28016. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Bessemer City? 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 Gaston County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under North Carolina 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 Bessemer City-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 Bessemer City 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
North Carolina 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 North CarolinaSource: 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.
Yes, several local labs offer same-day walk-in testing; best to call first.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Gaston County reported ~592 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the North Carolina average.
At-home kits mail to 28016: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In North Carolina, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems, caught early, it's cured with antibiotics.
Get treated, notify partners, pause sex until cleared, and follow up, the infection is manageable.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.