Ouachita County reports about 106 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents, well above the US average. Whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind in Camden, Arkansas, public clinics keep costs down, private labs prioritize speed, and at-home kits trade a clinic visit for convenience. See below for your options.
Available testing centers
6 testing options are listed for Camden, AR. The nearest, Arkansas Department of Health, is about 0.7 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.
Arkansas Department of Health in Camden covers the full bacterial panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis) and treats confirmed bacterial infections the same visit, alongside herpes, hepatitis B and C, TB, and rapid HIV testing. Fees run on a sliding scale and appointments are required. Spanish is spoken on-site.
Camden's Spanish-speaking patients can describe symptoms, ask about medications, and weigh treatment options directly with staff. No relay, no delayed nuance. For someone whose primary language is Spanish and who needs same-visit bacterial treatment, that directness shapes every clinical decision made in the room.
Chasing a herpes or hepatitis diagnosis through separate appointments at separate facilities means gaps where an infection goes unmanaged and costs compound. Arkansas Department of Health in Camden runs herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C testing alongside the core panel, so those results come back through a single visit rather than a second referral cycle.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A safety-net rural health clinic in Camden. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 1 mile from Camden. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Camden Family Practice, in Camden, carries FQHC designation, meaning fees follow a sliding scale tied to income. No one is turned away for inability to pay. STI screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, and no appointment is needed to be seen.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Cabun Rural Health Services in Bearden is a rural health clinic where appointments are required: plan ahead and a single visit covers the full panel, sliding-scale fees, same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines.
Cabun Rural Health Services maintains Spanish-language services and interpretation access as part of its clinical staffing, not an add-on arranged after scheduling. That means the intake, counseling, and treatment conversation happen in the language the provider and patient share. No relay, no delay in the room.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, Cabun's testing protocol extends to herpes and hepatitis A, B, and C: each ordered, collected, and followed up through the same clinic. That means results and any necessary management, including hepatitis counseling, stay within a single care relationship rather than scattered across referrals.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 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 less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Camden, 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 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 Ouachita 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.
638 California Avenue Southwest, Camden, AR 71701
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 1 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Camden. 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, 51 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Camden. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 14 offer telehealth.
Michael Campbell, MD
OB-GYN · 476 Hospital Drive, Camden
Richard Davis, MD
Family medicine · 1400 Pershing Highway, Smackover
John Ratcliff, MD
OB-GYN · 706 West Grove Street, El Dorado
Forrest Woods, MD
Internal medicine · 700 West Grove Street, El Dorado
Pavan Irukulla, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 700 West Grove Street, El Dorado
Pamela Schonefeld, MD
Internal medicine · 620 West Grove Street, El Dorado
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 Camden, 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.
0.4 mi Morrisons Pharmacy
0.6 miM&S Clinic Pharmacy
0.9 miOcmc Pharmacy
1.0 miMorrison Clinic Pharmacy
1.0 mi
1.2 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Camden, 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 Camden, 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
$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 $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or 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 Ouachita County, the county that includes Camden, compare with Arkansas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~25% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#11 of 75 Arkansas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 85% of the state
| Infection | Ouachita County | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 904 197 cases ▲ 56% | 579.6 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 403.8 88 cases ▲ 109% | 193.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 105.5 23 cases ▲ 261% | 29.2 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 18.4 4 cases ▲ 6% | 17.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 68.8 15 cases ▲ 43% | 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 Ouachita County, chlamydia has risen from 662.3 to 904 per 100,000 (36%), gonorrhea has risen from 348.8 to 403.8 per 100,000 (16%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 30.9 to 105.5 per 100,000 (241%).
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 Ouachita 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.
Ouachita County HIV care continuum (2023)
Among Ouachita County residents living with HIV, 15.4% are in care · 15.4% 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 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 Ouachita County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
At $511 a month in rent, Camden households are stretching every dollar, and that kind of budget pressure is exactly what pushes a clinic visit to the back of the line, even when someone knows they should go. With fewer than one in ten households earning six figures and unemployment running notably high, the cost of a visit (copay, gas down California Avenue Southwest, an hour off work) isn't trivial. For the roughly half of residents who rent rather than own, there's rarely a financial cushion to absorb even small unexpected expenses, and that calculus quietly shapes health decisions. Camden is also a notably young, household-dense community: average households here run larger than most small Arkansas cities, meaning multiple adults under one roof, often sharing a single car on roads that aren't built for walking.
Younger adults still building relationships and navigating an unsteady job market are the people most likely to encounter an STI, and the same economic squeeze that makes rent tight also makes it harder to carve out a weekday morning for a screening. The testing options listed on this page vary in cost and distance from areas like Carnes Park, some charge little or nothing. Knowing which one fits your income and your side of town is the first step, and it's all here.
Getting there
At 7.18/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Camden 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 71701 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 71701 area around Camden: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Camden alone.
Camden sits in Ouachita County, ZIP 71701. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Camden? 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 Ouachita 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 Camden-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 Camden 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.
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+.
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.
Ouachita County reported ~904 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Arkansas average.
In Arkansas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Your results are part of your HIPAA-protected medical record; you can ask any clinic about its own privacy practices.
Negative is good news, just retest later if the test was soon after a possible exposure.
Many STIs are fully cured with antibiotics; others, like HIV and herpes, are well managed with treatment.
Yes, syphilis is cured with antibiotics (usually penicillin), and earlier treatment prevents long-term damage.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.