St. Francis County has about 50 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents, above the US average. Whether you have symptoms or are seeking peace of mind in Caldwell, Arkansas, community clinics and public health departments may offer low-cost or free testing, while private labs often provide faster results and more flexible scheduling.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Caldwell, AR. The nearest, Access Medical Clinic Arkansas, is about 4.2 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.
A safety-net rural health clinic about 4 miles from Caldwell. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Arkansas Department of Health in Forrest City tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis C, and TB, and treats bacterial STIs the same visit. The full panel and HPV and hepatitis A vaccines run on a sliding scale, with HIV testing free; appointments are required.
Unresolved care often comes down to cost, a test deferred, a treatment picked up weeks late, a follow-up that never happens because the invoice was too uncertain. At Arkansas Department of Health in Forrest City, every service carries no fee, so the decision to come in, get treated, and come back is never a financial calculation.
Bacterial STI clinics routinely skip hepatitis C entirely, leaving a gap that only surfaces later. Often at a specialist. Arkansas Department of Health in Forrest City runs hepatitis C testing alongside the standard gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV screen, closing that gap at the same appointment.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jun 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Olly Neal Community Health Center in Madison charges nothing for any of its services: HIV rapid and conventional testing, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis screening, HPV vaccination, family planning, and STI treatment all carry a zero-dollar fee, with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance also accepted. An appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 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 4 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Caldwell, 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 St. Francis 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.
1601 Newcastle Road, Forrest City, AR 72335
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Caldwell. 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, 33 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Caldwell. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 2 offer telehealth.
George Conner, MD
Family medicine · 902 Holiday Drive, Forrest City
Cem Sarinoglu, MD
OB-GYN · 902 Holiday Drive, Forrest City
Jordan Harrison, DO
Family medicine · 904 Holiday Drive, Forrest City
Brandy Davis, MD
Family medicine · 904 Holiday Drive, Forrest City
Jeffrey Seale, MD
OB-GYN · 1601 New Castle Road, Forrest City
Purnima Sarkar, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 332 East Cook Street, Forrest City
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 Caldwell, AR 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.
3.6 mi 
3.7 mi St. Francis Discount Pharmacy
4.3 miForrest City Family Pharmacy
4.3 miPrice Harris Pharmacy Clinical Services
4.3 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Caldwell, AR.
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 Caldwell, 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
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
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 St. Francis County, the county that includes Caldwell, compare with Arkansas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~23% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#10 of 75 Arkansas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 87% of the state
| Infection | St. Francis County | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 936.6 207 cases ▲ 62% | 579.6 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 362 80 cases ▲ 87% | 193.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 49.8 11 cases ▲ 71% | 29.2 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 40.7 9 cases ▲ 135% | 17.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 117.6 26 cases ▲ 145% | 48 | 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 St. Francis County, chlamydia has risen from 831.5 to 936.6 per 100,000 (13%), gonorrhea has fallen from 541.4 to 362 per 100,000 (33%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 30.3 to 49.8 per 100,000 (64%).
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 St. Francis County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Arkansas 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.
St. Francis County HIV care continuum (2022)
St. Francis County recorded 42.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among St. Francis County residents living with HIV, 16.7% are in care · 13.3% 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 St. Francis County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Beech Grove Park sits at the quiet center of Caldwell life, a place where neighbors who have lived on the same street for decades cross paths with younger adults still sorting out where they'll land next. That mix shapes how health decisions get made here. With nearly six in ten households owning their homes, there's a rootedness to this community, but a substantial share of residents rent at modest monthly costs that still represent a real line item when budgets are tight and high-earning households are genuinely rare.
What that means practically: discretionary spending on health visits competes with everything else, and with labor-force participation well below national norms, many adults aren't working schedules anchored to a single employer's calendar, which sounds flexible but often means irregular hours, caregiving duties, or multiple part-time commitments that make weekday appointments harder to keep than they look on paper. For people in their late teens and twenties, the years when new relationships overlap with the least consistent healthcare habits, that combination of cost pressure and schedule unpredictability is exactly where access breaks down. Knowing which listed option is closest before you need it, and whether it offers sliding-scale fees, is the kind of detail worth looking up from Beech Grove Park's parking lot on an otherwise ordinary afternoon.
Getting there
At 4.1/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Caldwell 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 72335 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 72335 area around Caldwell: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Caldwell alone.
Caldwell sits in St. Francis County, ZIP 72335. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Caldwell? 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 St. Francis County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Arkansas 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 Caldwell-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 Caldwell 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Arkansas 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 ArkansasSource: 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.
There are 3 options within a 30-mile drive.
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.
St. Francis County reported ~937 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Arkansas average.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In Arkansas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
At-home kits mail to 72335: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Many STIs are fully cured with antibiotics; others, like HIV and herpes, are well managed with treatment.
Yes, a syphilis sore can heal while the infection stays and silently progresses, so a blood test is the only way to be sure.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.