Gonorrhea in Cleveland County runs about 33% higher than the US average. If you're in Casar, North Carolina and need an STI test, whether it's your first or a routine screening, consider whether you'd like to visit a clinic with a provider or use an at-home test kit and mail it in. Options are listed below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Casar, NC. The nearest, Kintegra Health, is about 8.5 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.
Kintegra Health in Lawndale tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and HIV on a sliding-scale fee open to everyone, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, appointments required, and Spanish-language and interpretation services staffed on-site.
Kintegra Health includes herpes in its STI panel alongside the bacterial infections and HIV. That means a single visit produces a fuller picture, and any bacterial finding gets treated the same day rather than waiting on a follow-up appointment.
Many clinics test for HIV but send patients somewhere else for the medications that prevent it. Kintegra Health prescribes both PrEP and PEP directly, and PrEP is available for uninsured patients through dedicated program support.
Kintegra Health carries Spanish-language capacity and live interpretation services as standing clinical resources, not an on-call afterthought. STI counseling, treatment decisions, and medication adherence education all run through those same staffed channels.
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 + HRSA
Senior TLC - Shelby, a federally qualified health center in Shelby, welcomes walk-in patients for STI screening without an appointment. A single visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, with fees set on a sliding scale tied to household income.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Burke County Health Department in Morganton operates STI care through a full public health infrastructure, covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, conventional HIV, hepatitis B, and TB testing on a sliding scale (with same-visit bacterial treatment, prevention counseling, and appointments required) all at no fee.
Burke County Health Department carries no-fee coverage across its entire STI service line: testing, treatment, vaccines, and counseling. For anyone paying out of pocket or without a regular provider who bills predictably, that standing policy means no back-of-mind arithmetic between choosing a test and walking in.
Without interpretation at the point of care, an STI diagnosis can stall. A misunderstood result, a treatment instruction that doesn't land, a follow-up that never happens. Burke County Health Department in Morganton has interpretation services in-house, so nothing between a positive result and its treatment gets dropped to a language gap.
Someone without a regular primary care provider, and no easy route to specialist referrals, benefits most from a panel that doesn't stop at the core four. Burke County Health Department adds hepatitis B and TB testing to its STI services, so a single appointment can surface conditions that often go undetected without that broader screen.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 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 9 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Casar, 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 Cleveland 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.
1610 East Marion Street, Suite 250, Shelby, NC 28150
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
711 North Dekalb Street, Shelby, NC 28150
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
105 Delta Park Drive, Shelby, NC 28150
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Casar. 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, 307 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Casar. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 63 offer telehealth.
Elizabeth Cirullo, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 3970 West Hwy 27, Lincolnton
Robert Murray, DO
Internal medicine · 1404 North Lafayette Street, Shelby
Silpa Rao, MD
Family medicine · 2209 South Sterling Street, Morganton
Christine Lincoln, MD
OB-GYN · 2209 South Sterling Street, Morganton
Basalat Khan, DO
Family medicine · 2201 South Sterling Street, Morganton
Carolyn Gordon, MD
Internal medicine · 117 Foothills Drive, Morganton
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 Casar, NC 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.
Fallston Pharmacy
8.4 miThe Drug Store Vale
8.6 miTas Drug
13 miShowing the 3 closest pharmacies to Casar, NC.
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 Casar, 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
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
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 Cleveland County, the county that includes Casar, compare with North Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~38% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#33 of 100 North Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 67% of the state
| Infection | Cleveland County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 586.9 595 cases ▼ 3% | 607.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 238.7 242 cases ▼ 2% | 243.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 25.6 26 cases ▲ 29% | 19.9 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 20.7 21 cases ▲ 31% | 15.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 18.7 19 cases ▼ 22% | 24 | 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 Cleveland County, chlamydia has fallen from 663.2 to 586.9 per 100,000 (12%), gonorrhea has fallen from 336.6 to 238.7 per 100,000 (29%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3 to 25.6 per 100,000 (753%).
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 Cleveland County.
Local HIV snapshot
Cleveland County HIV care continuum (2023)
Cleveland County recorded 14 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 15.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Cleveland County residents living with HIV, 77.3% are in care · 67.8% 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 Cleveland County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
The ridge lines of No Business Mountain and High Rock frame daily life in Casar with a quiet remoteness that shapes everything from grocery runs to medical appointments, and testing for STIs is no exception. Nearly three-quarters of residents own their homes here, many of them families large enough to fill a household well above the national average, which means the financial cushion that makes discretionary health care feel routine is thinner than it looks on paper: typical home values are modest, and the quarter of residents who rent do so at rates that leave little room for unexpected costs. For people in their late teens and twenties, the years when STI exposure is statistically most common, that cost reality, combined with roads that demand a vehicle for every errand, can turn a straightforward health decision into a genuine logistical calculation. Cleveland County's STI figures give that calculation real stakes.
The options listed on this page number two dozen, spread in and around Casar, offering a range of fee structures that matter when household budgets are stretched. Unemployment here runs notably higher than state averages, and with well under two-thirds of adults in the workforce, the people who are employed often carry demanding, inflexible schedules. Several of the listed options hold evening or weekend hours, the kind of appointment slot that actually fits a workweek built around Cleveland County's labor realities, not around a day off that may not exist.
Getting there
At 2.76/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Casar 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 28020 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 28020 area around Casar: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Casar alone.
Casar sits in Cleveland County, ZIP 28020. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Casar? 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 Cleveland County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under North Carolina 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 Casar-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 Casar 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
North Carolina 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 North CarolinaSource: 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 7 options within a 30-mile drive.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
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.
Cleveland County reported ~587 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the North Carolina average.
In North Carolina, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
A positive means treatment is the next step; many STIs are cured with antibiotics, and all are treatable.
Your results are part of your HIPAA-protected medical record; you can ask any clinic about its own privacy practices.
Yes, chlamydia and gonorrhea can infect the throat, often with no symptoms, so ask for a throat swab if you had oral exposure.
Use condoms, test regularly, get the HPV and hep B vaccines, and ask about PrEP for HIV.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.