Colleton County has new HIV diagnoses 58% higher than the US average. If you're in Cottageville, South Carolina, whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, consider if you want to use insurance at a clinic or pay a flat fee at a private lab. Review your options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Cottageville, SC. The nearest, South Carolina Department of Public Health, is about 10.5 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.
South Carolina Department of Health's Walterboro clinic brings a public health department's full infrastructure to STI care: appointments required, sliding-scale fees, same-visit bacterial treatment, and the standard panel including HIV and hepatitis C, all at no cost to patients.
Whether paying cash, between insurance plans, or without a regular provider, the South Carolina Department of Public Health in Walterboro charges nothing. Not for the visit, not for testing, not for treatment. That zero-cost structure holds across the entire menu of services, not just the HIV test.
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, DoxyPEP, is available directly through the Walterboro clinic, meaning the prescription and the medication come from the same appointment rather than requiring a separate pharmacy trip or specialist visit.
Skipping herpes or hepatitis C from a standard panel means a gap that can go unaddressed for months, a second provider, a second appointment, more cost. The South Carolina Department of Public Health in Walterboro tests for both alongside chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV, closing that gap at a single visit.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Genesis Health Care in Walterboro runs by appointment, so scheduling ahead is the entry point, and that visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing alongside STI treatment, family planning, and HPV and hepatitis A and B vaccines, with fees on a sliding scale and Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance all accepted.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Fetter Health Care Network in Walterboro runs by appointment and covers the full bacterial and viral panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and rapid or conventional HIV) with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, sliding-scale fees, and all services provided at no fee.
Plenty of clinics discount care or waive copays for select visits, Fetter Health Care Network in Walterboro charges nothing for any service it provides. That's not a program with eligibility conditions; it's the baseline for every appointment, every test, every treatment.
Fetter Health Care Network in Walterboro delivers care directly in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, and Haitian Creole. Meaning a Deaf patient or a Creole speaker gets the same clinical conversation as anyone else, without a relay layer flattening the nuance of what's being discussed.
Fetter Health Care Network in Walterboro prescribes and manages both PrEP and PEP, which means a patient who starts prevention medication here continues it here. No hand-off to a separate provider to maintain access.
Languages
American Sign Language, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 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 11 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Cottageville, 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 Colleton 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.
501 Robertson Boulevard, Walterboro, SC 29488
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Showing the nearest 1 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Cottageville. 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, 344 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Cottageville. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 106 offer telehealth.
Jeffrey Kramer, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 873 Robertson Boulevard, Walterboro
Todd Allen, MD
OB-GYN · 120 Medical Park Drive, Walterboro
Vipul Bodar, MD
Internal medicine · 302 Medical Park Drive, Walterboro
Dennis Besong, MD
Family medicine · 302 Medical Park Drive, Walterboro
Waseem Ghannam, MD
Family medicine · 501 Robertson Boulevard, Walterboro
John Creel, MD
Family medicine · 447 Spruce Street, Walterboro
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 Cottageville, SC 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.
Tracys Pharmacy
10 mi
11 mi Hiotts Pharmacy
11 mi
11 mi Walterboro Pharmacy
11 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Cottageville, SC.
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 Cottageville, 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.
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 $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
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 Colleton County, the county that includes Cottageville, compare with South Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~16% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#24 of 46 South Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 48% of the state
| Infection | Colleton County | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 586.5 228 cases ▼ 4% | 612.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 236.7 92 cases ▲ 6% | 222.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 36 14 cases ▲ 108% | 17.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 18 7 cases ▼ 4% | 18.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 18 7 cases ▲ 54% | 11.7 | 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 Colleton County, chlamydia has fallen from 658 to 586.5 per 100,000 (11%), gonorrhea has fallen from 329 to 236.7 per 100,000 (28%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 5.2 to 36 per 100,000 (592%).
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 Colleton County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: South Carolina 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.
Colleton County HIV care continuum (2020)
Colleton County recorded 21.7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2020), against 18.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Colleton County residents living with HIV, 87.1% are in care · 50.7% 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 Colleton County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
US 17 Alt, Cottageville Highway, is the thread that connects this small Colleton County community to the outside world, and for most residents, reaching any of the options listed on this page means committing to a real stretch of that road. Those households here tend to be rooted ones. Nearly three-quarters of residents own their homes, many at values that keep monthly costs manageable, and average household size runs above three people. Meaning scheduling decisions ripple outward.
Almost half of married adults are balancing shared calendars, and with most working-age residents in the labor force, weekday availability isn't a given. The options listed on this page span a range of hours and fee structures, which matters when an appointment has to compete with shift work or childcare. Younger adults in Cottageville (people still in their twenties and early thirties, forming relationships and often without established primary-care ties) are the ones for whom distance becomes the most concrete barrier. A clinic visit that requires an hour-plus round trip either gets scheduled deliberately or doesn't happen at all, and the household texture here suggests most people have the stability to do the former once they know where to go.
Getting there
At 4.96/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Cottageville 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 29435 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 29435 area around Cottageville: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Cottageville alone.
Cottageville sits in Colleton County, ZIP 29435. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Cottageville? 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 Colleton County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under South 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 Cottageville-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 Cottageville 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 South 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 South Carolina, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
South 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 South 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.
7 testing options are within 30 miles of Cottageville, SC.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, South Carolina Department of Public Health (10.5 mi) offers free testing, and public clinics serve the uninsured.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 587 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the South Carolina average.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
In South Carolina, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
Medical records are protected under federal HIPAA law, ask the clinic how it handles your information.
It's curable with antibiotics; catching it early avoids serious complications.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.