In Story County, reported gonorrhea runs about 51% lower than the US average. Whether you're in Cambridge, Iowa preparing for a new relationship or managing ongoing health, weigh the convenience of a same-day walk-in clinic visit against the flexibility of lab testing or home kits.
Available testing centers
5 testing options are listed for Cambridge, IA. The nearest, Story County Hospital, is about 7.1 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 public safety-net rural health clinic about 7 miles from Cambridge. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Obria Medical Clinics in Ames folds STI testing into a family-planning practice, so gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C share the same visit with contraceptive and reproductive care. The sliding-scale fee applies to everyone, walk-ins are welcome, and bacterial infections can be treated the same day.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
McFarland Clinic in Ames accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with a fee structure that scales to income, and covers PrEP for the uninsured. The panel runs from rapid and conventional HIV and syphilis to gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections.
Plenty of testing sites hand off prevention prescribing to a separate provider, McFarland Clinic in Ames writes PrEP and PEP directly. That means ongoing HIV prevention, including coverage for uninsured PrEP patients, stays with the same clinical team handling your testing.
McFarland Clinic's panel includes herpes simplex and both hepatitis B and hepatitis C alongside the bacterial STIs and HIV, infections over the standard quartet. Catching hepatitis B and C at the same appointment where treatment and vaccination decisions can also be made compresses what would otherwise be a fragmented clinical process.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 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 7 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Cambridge, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Story 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.
640 South 19th Street, Nevada, IA 50201
CMS-certified lab
3815 Stange Road, Ames, IA 50010
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
3600 West Lincolnway, Ames, IA 50014
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Cambridge. 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, 499 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Cambridge. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 75 offer telehealth.
Grant Peterson, MD
Internal medicine · 305 South US Hwy 69, Huxley
Todd Berryhill, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 3500 University Boulevard, Ames
Molly Thompson, DO
Family medicine · 230 South 6th Street, Nevada
Rupal Amin, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1018 Duff Avenue, Ames
Danielle Pellow, MD
Internal medicine · 1215 Duff Avenue, Ames
Tercio Lopes, MD
Internal medicine · 3625 North Ankeny Boulevard, Ankeny
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 Cambridge, IA 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.
Hy-Vee
3.4 miHy-Vee Pharmacy
3.4 miGRX Holdings
8.2 miNucara Pharmacy
8.2 mi
8.9 mi 
9.1 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Cambridge, IA.
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 Cambridge, 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 $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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
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 Story County, the county that includes Cambridge, compare with Iowa and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~22% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#10 of 99 Iowa counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 90% of the state
| Infection | Story County | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 514.4 507 cases ▲ 21% | 426.8 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 88.3 87 cases ▼ 24% | 116.8 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 7.1 7 cases ▼ 31% | 10.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 6.1 6 cases ▼ 34% | 9.2 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 4.1 4 cases ▼ 59% | 9.9 | 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 Story County, chlamydia has fallen from 554.1 to 514.4 per 100,000 (7%), gonorrhea has fallen from 110.6 to 88.3 per 100,000 (20%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 9.1 to 7.1 per 100,000 (22%).
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 Story County.
Local HIV snapshot
Story County HIV care continuum (2023)
Story County recorded 6.9 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 5.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Story County residents living with HIV, 84.1% are in care · 81% 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 Story County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Berhow Park sits at the quiet center of a town where most households own their homes and have for years, that kind of rooted stability shapes everything from how people spend weekends to how readily they think about routine health maintenance. The community skews toward established households: the majority of adults here are married, and average household sizes run larger than most Iowa towns, meaning schedules tend to orbit around family logistics rather than individual convenience. That context matters for younger adults in their late teens and twenties, who are at the years when STI rates climb and who may be sharing a single vehicle, coordinating around work, or simply deprioritizing a solo appointment when the week fills up fast.
With more than three-quarters of residents in the labor force and unemployment sitting low, the practical challenge isn't awareness. It's carving out time during business hours. Several of the options listed here offer extended or weekend availability, which fits the reality of Cambridge residents whose workdays leave little room for midweek detours down Highway 210 toward the nearest clinic.
Getting there
At 4.29/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Cambridge 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 50046 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 50046 area around Cambridge: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Cambridge alone.
Cambridge sits in Story County, ZIP 50046. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Cambridge? 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 Story County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Iowa 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 Cambridge-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 Cambridge 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 Iowa 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 Iowa, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own; a parent may be notified only in the case of a positive HIV test result.
Iowa 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 IowaSource: 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 5 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.
Story County reported ~514 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Iowa average.
At-home kits mail to 50046: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
In Iowa, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
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.