In Pueblo County, there are about 41 syphilis cases each year per 100,000 residents, well above the US average. Whether you need testing in Blende, Colorado after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, public clinics keep costs down, private labs prioritize speed, and at-home kits trade a clinic visit for convenience. Use the list below to weigh your options.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Blende, CO. The nearest, Pueblo Community Health Center, is about 2.2 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.
Pueblo Community Health Center requires an appointment, but that single scheduled visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB testing alongside same-visit bacterial treatment. All on a sliding-scale fee, with HIV testing free.
Pueblo Community Health Center's sliding-scale structure extends all the way to zero, every service the clinic offers, from testing through treatment, carries a no-cost tier. That floor means cost isn't a factor in whether someone completes care or returns for follow-up.
Spanish is a primary language at Pueblo Community Health Center, not a supplement arranged on request. Clinical conversations (counseling, medication adherence education, treatment planning) happen directly in Spanish, which affects the accuracy and depth of what gets communicated and retained.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, Pueblo Community Health Center tests for hepatitis A, B, and C in the same visit. Catching an active hepatitis infection early opens access to the clinic's on-site HIV/AIDS and hepatitis medical treatment services before the infection advances.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
East Side Clinic in Pueblo meets patients where they are (between providers, paying cash, or working without insurance) through federally qualified standing that ties fees to income. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening, with no fixed price regardless of coverage status.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment brings the infrastructure of a county health department to STI care: rapid and conventional HIV testing, full bacterial panel, same-visit treatment, and sliding-scale fees extending to no cost, by appointment.
Every service at Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment is provided at no fee, which means the cost of the visit never factors into which tests you request, whether you return for follow-up, or whether you complete a full vaccine series.
Spanish is spoken directly by staff at Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, with broader interpretation services available for other languages: meaning counseling, medication adherence education, and prevention conversations happen in real time, without relay.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment tests for herpes and hepatitis C, so a single appointment can resolve questions that a narrower panel would leave open.
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
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 Blende, 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 Pueblo 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.
400 West 16th Street, Pueblo, CO 81003
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
5700 North Elizabeth Street, Pueblo, CO 81008
CMS-certified lab
1600 West 24th Street, Pueblo, CO 81003
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Blende. 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, 102 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Blende. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 18 offer telehealth.
John Beauman, MD
Family medicine · 2403 Santa Fe Drive, Pueblo
Stephanie Payne, DO
Family medicine · 1591 Taos Road, Pueblo
Richard King, MD
Family medicine · 1302 East 5th Street, Pueblo
Mikaela Fenn, MD
Family medicine · 1301 East 7th Street, Pueblo
Pamela Vallejo-Craig, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 408 North Main Street, Pueblo
Bryant Javier, DO
Internal medicine · 400 West 16th Street, Pueblo
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 Blende, CO 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.
Blende Drug
0.4 miPueblo Community Health Center Park Hill
2.2 miJB Pharmacy
2.8 miPharmacy
2.8 miBroadway Pharmacy
3.0 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Blende, CO.
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 Blende, 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 Pueblo County, the county that includes Blende, compare with Colorado and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~9% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#5 of 64 Colorado counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 92% of the state
| Infection | Pueblo County | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 523 886 cases ▲ 20% | 435.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 208.4 353 cases ▲ 62% | 128.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 41.3 70 cases ▲ 158% | 16 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 25.4 43 cases ▲ 144% | 10.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 143.4 243 cases ▲ 405% | 28.4 | 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 Pueblo County, chlamydia has fallen from 598.2 to 523 per 100,000 (13%), gonorrhea has fallen from 225.4 to 208.4 per 100,000 (8%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 35.7 to 41.3 per 100,000 (16%).
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 Pueblo County.
Local HIV snapshot
Pueblo County HIV care continuum (2023)
Pueblo County recorded 10.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 9.6 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Pueblo County residents living with HIV, 80.2% are in care · 72.4% 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 Pueblo County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Blende's name echoes its mining past, when the zinc ore that built the town drew workers and their families to stake claims in what became a close-knit community. That legacy of stability persists: many households here span generations, and homeownership runs deep. Today, the town's character reflects both that rootedness and a younger demographic, young adults in their late teens through thirties who've chosen to stay or moved here intentionally, alongside established families who've weathered decades together. STI testing in and around Blende serves this mix of long-term residents and newer arrivals alike. The clinics and providers listed on this page understand that confidentiality matters especially in a place where people know their neighbors and run into them at the Buell Children's Museum or along Santa Fe Drive.
A screening visit stays between you and your provider; results don't circulate through town gossip or employment records. Routine testing is straightforward and discreet here. Whether you're starting a relationship, checking in after a gap in care, or simply keeping yourself informed, the health services available locally are designed to give you answers without fanfare or delay. Testing happens quietly, and your health record stays your own.
Getting there
At 5.59/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Blende 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 81006 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 81006 area around Blende: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Blende alone.
Blende sits in Pueblo County, ZIP 81006. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Blende? 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 Pueblo County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Colorado 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 Blende-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 Blende 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 Colorado 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 Colorado, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Colorado 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 ColoradoSource: 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.
Free at public clinics. Private labs run about $24 for one test and $139 for a full panel; at-home kits are $49+.
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.
Pueblo County reported ~523 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Colorado average.
In Colorado, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
Go to an ER or call RAINN (800-656-4673); they provide testing, PEP, and support right away.
It can: too soon and a real infection may not show yet. Retest after the window to be sure.
Usually urine or a swab for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and blood for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.