Chlamydia cases in Hamilton County run about 16% higher than the US average. If you're in Collegedale, Tennessee, whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening, you'll find both clinics and private labs. Clinics may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while private labs typically let you pay a flat self-pay price. Below, see your options.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Collegedale, TN. The nearest, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department, is about 1.4 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.
Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department in Ooltewah tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, treating bacterial infections the same visit when results warrant it. Fees follow a sliding scale, insurance and Medicaid are accepted, and an appointment is required. Spanish-language care is available.
Staff at this clinic provide care in Spanish, which means diagnosis, treatment, and counseling happen in the same language: no lag, no mediated step between what a provider says and what a patient understands and can act on.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, this clinic runs hepatitis C antibody testing as part of its panel, and hepatitis A and B vaccines are stocked and administered on-site. That means a single appointment can close gaps in both diagnosis and immunization without a second stop.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Erlanger Health System in Ooltewah runs on a sliding-scale fee structure and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB. With same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs. Appointments are required.
Erlanger tests for herpes and hepatitis A, B, and C alongside the core bacterial and viral panel. Meaning a single visit can surface infections that narrower panels leave undetected, which matters for anyone wanting a genuinely complete picture of their sexual health.
Spanish-language care is available directly at Erlanger Health System in Ooltewah, not routed through an outside service, so clinical conversations about test results, treatment options, and prevention happen in Spanish from the same staff providing the care.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Fast Access Healthcare in Chattanooga tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C on a sliding-scale fee with insurance and Medicaid accepted; walk-ins are welcome, and bacterial STIs can be treated the same visit.
Fast Access Healthcare carries PrEP for ongoing HIV prevention, PEP for post-exposure HIV management, and DoxyPEP, the doxycycline regimen shown to cut bacterial STI transmission, all prescribed and supported in-house. Having all three means a prevention plan can be built around a person's actual pattern of exposure, not around which drugs a given clinic happens to stock.
Leaving herpes or hepatitis A, B, or C off a panel means a second appointment, a second wait, and a gap where an answer should be. Fast Access Healthcare in Chattanooga closes that gap by including all three hepatitis types plus herpes alongside the core bacterial and HIV tests. One visit, one complete picture.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Choice Health Network, a Positively Living Company in Chattanooga, runs STI care through an organization whose mission is built entirely around HIV and infectious disease: meaning testing, treatment, PrEP, and PEP all sit alongside viral hepatitis testing, with every service provided at no fee.
Choice Health Network covers its full range of services (rapid and conventional HIV testing, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis C, TB, STI treatment, PrEP, PEP, and both hepatitis vaccines) at no charge to anyone who walks in. For someone paying entirely out of pocket, or without a regular provider who can manage ongoing prescriptions, that means no billing calculation before or after care.
Choice Health Network prescribes both daily oral PrEP and PEP directly, not as a referral destination but as an ongoing clinical service. PrEP requires regular HIV testing and kidney-function monitoring to stay on the medication safely, and having that follow-up housed at the same organization means the monitoring cycle doesn't depend on coordinating with a separate provider.
The standard four-infection panel (HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia) is where many STI-focused clinics stop. Choice Health Network in Chattanooga extends its testing to hepatitis C and TB, infections that share transmission routes with other STIs but routinely get left off the intake list elsewhere.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
River Valley Health in Chattanooga tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis A, B, and C, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, on a sliding-scale fee open to all. Appointments are required.
River Valley Health carries hepatitis C treatment on-site, so a confirmed diagnosis moves into a managed care plan without transferring to a separate provider. That continuity keeps the treatment timeline intact from the first positive result forward.
Leaving a clinic with an unmet PrEP or PEP need means a second appointment, a second provider relationship, and days lost from a prevention window. River Valley Health prescribes both on-site, keeping prevention on a single clinical track.
River Valley Health provides interpretation services for non-English languages, meaning clinical conversations (risk counseling, treatment instructions, medication adherence education) reach patients in full rather than through approximation. That precision directly affects how well patients engage with their care plans.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 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 1 mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Collegedale, 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 Hamilton 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.
6401 Mountain View Road, Suite 109, Ooltewah, TN 37363
CMS-certified lab
6847 Mountain View Road, Ooltewah, TN 37363
CMS-certified lab
5243 Little Debbie Parkway, Suite 111, Ooltewah, TN 37363
CMS-certified lab
6059 Arbury Way Second Floor, Ooltewah, TN 37363
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Collegedale. 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, 498 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Collegedale. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 96 offer telehealth.
Clarissa Mashchak, MD
OB-GYN · 4884 Sunkist Terrace, Ooltewah
Oliver Bujak, MD
Family medicine · 9309 Apison Pike, Ooltewah
Gerard Mazza, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 9380 Bradmore Lane, Ooltewah
Obadias Marquez, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 6059 Arbury Way, Ooltewah
George Wennerberg, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 6059 Arbury Way, Ooltewah
Kenneth Golden, DO
Family medicine · 9058 Old Lee Highway, Ooltewah
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 Collegedale, TN 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.
1.0 mi Barnetts Medplus
1.2 mi
1.3 mi River City Pharmacy
2.2 mi
2.2 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Collegedale, TN.
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 Collegedale, 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.
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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
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 Hamilton County, the county that includes Collegedale, compare with Tennessee and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~41% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#11 of 95 Tennessee counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 88% of the state
| Infection | Hamilton County | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 572.6 2,175 cases ▲ 11% | 517.4 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 192.4 731 cases ▲ 3% | 186.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 40 152 cases ▲ 170% | 14.8 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 13.7 52 cases ▲ 19% | 11.5 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 24.7 94 cases ▼ 6% | 26.4 | 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 Hamilton County, chlamydia has fallen from 621 to 572.6 per 100,000 (8%), gonorrhea has fallen from 308 to 192.4 per 100,000 (38%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 7.6 to 40 per 100,000 (426%).
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 Hamilton County.
Local HIV snapshot
Hamilton County HIV care continuum (2023)
Hamilton County recorded 14.3 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Hamilton County residents living with HIV, 85.5% are in care · 55.7% 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 Hamilton County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Whitener Hill sits in the kind of neighborhood where households run large, neighbors tend to know each other, and the question of what routine health care costs carries real weight. With just over half of Collegedale residents renting rather than owning, and typical monthly rent sitting close to a thousand dollars, a budget that looked balanced can tighten quickly once utilities, groceries, and child care enter the picture. Nearly a quarter of households do clear six figures, but that still means most families here are watching every line item, which shapes whether a screening appointment feels manageable or like one more thing to reschedule.
That calculus matters most for the large share of Collegedale residents in their late teens and twenties, an age when relationships are forming, coverage can be patchy, and a test that requires half a workday is often the test that never happens. Practically speaking, Lee Highway is the corridor that connects Collegedale to the broader county, so pulling up the options on this page and filtering by hours before heading out is the most direct move from Tucker Road Recreation Area or anywhere else in town.
Getting there
At 3.84/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Collegedale 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 37363 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 37363 area around Collegedale: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Collegedale alone.
Collegedale sits in Hamilton County, ZIP 37363. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Collegedale? 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 Hamilton County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Tennessee 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 Collegedale-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 Collegedale 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Tennessee 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 TennesseeSource: 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+.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Hamilton County reported ~573 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Tennessee average.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In Tennessee, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
At-home kits mail to 37363: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Clinics give immediate care and treatment; home kits win on convenience and discretion. Either works.
Pregnancy screening is standard; ask about an early-pregnancy STI panel.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.