Gonorrhea cases in Schuylkill County are about 76% lower than the US average. If you live in Branchdale, Pennsylvania, and want STI testing whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, consider that clinics may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while private labs often let you pay a flat self-pay price. Your choices are listed below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Branchdale, PA. The nearest, Primary Health Network, is about 3.4 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.
Primary Health Network in Minersville weaves STI care into its broader primary care practice, covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, conventional HIV, hepatitis C, and TB on a sliding-scale fee with insurance accepted. Bacterial infections treated same visit, appointment required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Co-County Wellness Services in Pottsville provides HIV, gonorrhea, syphilis, and chlamydia testing at no charge to everyone, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and walk-in access. No appointment, no fee at any point in the process.
When cost sits between a person and treatment, bacterial infections go unaddressed and HIV goes unmanaged. At Co-County Wellness Services, every service (testing, counseling, and STI treatment) carries no charge, so the bill never becomes the reason care stops.
When language support has to be arranged separately, appointments fall apart, follow-up gets skipped, and treatment gaps open. Co-County Wellness Services provides Spanish-language services and interpretation directly, so counseling and care move forward without scheduling around a language barrier.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Pennsylvania Department of Health in Pottsville tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. With every test and treatment offered at no charge regardless of insurance status. HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines round out the visit; appointments are required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 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 3 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Branchdale, 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 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 Schuylkill 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.
700 Schuylkill Manor Road Suite 7, Pottsville, PA 17901
CMS-certified lab
360 West Ruddle Street PO Box 67, Coaldale, PA 18218
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
700 East Norwegian Street, Pottsville, PA 17901
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 Branchdale. 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, 596 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Branchdale. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 229 offer telehealth.
Francis Mohan, MD
Family medicine · 232 Sunbury Street, Minersville
Timothy Grube, DO
OB-GYN · 431 Dowdentown Road, Pottsville
Soli Tavaria, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 105 North Delaware Avenue, Minersville
Mackenzie Mady, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 1578 Bunting Street, Pottsville
Peter Sugarbaker, DO
Family medicine · 2650 Woodglen Road, Pottsville
Mahendra Pujara, MD
Urology · 1630 Mount Hope Avenue, Pottsville
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 Branchdale, PA 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.
Yorkville Drug Store
5.5 miGeisinger Pharmacy
6.7 miTowne Drugs
6.7 mi
6.7 mi 
6.8 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Branchdale, PA.
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 Branchdale, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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 Schuylkill County, the county that includes Branchdale, compare with Pennsylvania and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~6% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#29 of 67 Pennsylvania counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 57% of the state
| Infection | Schuylkill County | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 229.5 330 cases ▼ 46% | 421.2 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 43.1 62 cases ▼ 70% | 144.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 2.1 3 cases ▼ 77% | 9.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 4.9 7 cases ▼ 52% | 10.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 7.7 11 cases ▼ 32% | 11.4 | 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 Schuylkill County, chlamydia has fallen from 244 to 229.5 per 100,000 (6%), gonorrhea has fallen from 55.2 to 43.1 per 100,000 (22%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 3.5 to 2.1 per 100,000 (40%).
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 Schuylkill County.
Local HIV snapshot
Schuylkill County HIV care continuum (2023)
Schuylkill County recorded 6.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 8.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Schuylkill County residents living with HIV, 72.3% are in care · 62.1% 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 Schuylkill County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
US 209 threads through Branchdale as the town's main artery, connecting neighborhoods where a meaningful share of residents rent rather than own, and where typical monthly rent sits low enough that people are often stretching a modest income across a household of nearly three. For younger adults here, people in their late teens and twenties navigating early relationships and shifting living arrangements, routine screening tends to compete with work schedules in a labor market where unemployment runs noticeably above national norms, meaning time off isn't something most people spend lightly. That economic texture matters.
With close to half of adults married and households averaging nearly three people, Branchdale skews toward settled domestic life, but the portion of residents in that under-35 window, when STI transmission is most concentrated, still represents real people who benefit from testing options that don't demand much planning or sacrifice. Schuylkill County's STI rates give that some urgency, even in a community this size.
Getting there
At 5.8/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Branchdale 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 17923 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 17923 area around Branchdale: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Branchdale alone.
Branchdale sits in Schuylkill County, ZIP 17923. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Branchdale? 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 Schuylkill County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Pennsylvania 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 Branchdale-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 Branchdale 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Pennsylvania 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 PennsylvaniaSource: 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.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it, and public clinics are free either way.
Yes, free HIV testing is available at public clinics in the area.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Schuylkill County reported ~230 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Pennsylvania average.
In Pennsylvania, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
At-home kits mail to 17923: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Yes, a body or genital rash can be a sign of syphilis or HIV, so get tested and evaluated.
Use condoms, test regularly, get the HPV and hep B vaccines, and ask about PrEP for HIV.
Many STIs are fully cured with antibiotics; others, like HIV and herpes, are well managed with treatment.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.