Houston County reports about 45 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents in Houston County, Alabama, well above the US average. In Cottonwood, Alabama, you might need testing whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind. Some clinics take walk-ins for same-day testing, while labs and at-home kits let you plan around your own time. Here are some options available in Cottonwood.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Cottonwood, AL. The nearest, Alabama Department of Public Health, is about 10.4 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.
Alabama Department of Public Health in Dothan tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, and treats bacterial STIs at the same visit. HPV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and mpox vaccines are available alongside family planning. Every service here runs at no fee, with appointments required.
The no-cost structure at this clinic is underwritten by public health department funding, which means the zero-fee policy covers testing, STI treatment, vaccines, and family planning equally. Not selectively. Staff process Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance when applicable, but the fee genuinely does not exist for those without coverage.
Spanish-language care at this Dothan location is delivered directly: clinical conversations, counseling, and prevention education are conducted in Spanish by staff at the clinic, so the exchange between provider and patient carries no lag and no dropped clinical nuance.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
MainStreet Family Care in Dothan runs the full STI panel alongside same-visit treatment for bacterial infections like gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis: with fees on a sliding scale accepted through Medicaid, Medicare, or private insurance. Walk-ins are welcome, and PrEP and PEP are available for ongoing prevention.
MainStreet Family Care prescribes PrEP, daily oral medication that keeps HIV-negative status intact, and PEP for post-exposure situations, both managed on-site rather than handed off. Having both prevention tools at one practice means ongoing labs, refills, and dosing adjustments stay with the same clinical team.
Leaving herpes or hepatitis undetected means an infection continues without treatment or monitoring while a person waits on a separate appointment somewhere else. MainStreet Family Care's panel includes herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C testing alongside the standard four, so those gaps don't persist past a single visit.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
PanCare Health Malone earns its federally qualified designation by tying fees to income: meaning the same syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening is priced differently for a minimum-wage worker than for someone earning more, no appointment needed to get started in Malone.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
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 10 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Cottonwood, 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 Houston 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.
201 Doctors Drive, Dothan, AL 36301
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
106 Westside Drive, Dothan, AL 36303
CMS-certified lab
5565 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Cottonwood. 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, 168 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Cottonwood. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 16 offer telehealth.
Jonathan Payne, MD
OB-GYN · 415 Midland Street, Ashford
Justin Hovey Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1003 Haven Drive, Dothan
Arielle Dahlin, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1118 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan
William Hundley, MD
Internal medicine · 1118 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan
James Conner, MD
Internal medicine · 1118 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan
Sai Avula, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1118 Ross Clark Circle, Dothan
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 Cottonwood, AL 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.
Cottonwood Drugs
0.2 miSpecialty Care RX
10 mi
10 mi Malone Pharmacy
11 miYates Pharmacy
11 mi
11 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Cottonwood, AL.
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 Cottonwood, 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
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
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 Houston County, the county that includes Cottonwood, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~23% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#20 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 70% of the state
| Infection | Houston County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 732.1 794 cases ▲ 12% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 260.9 283 cases ▲ 15% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 45.2 49 cases ▲ 58% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 20.3 22 cases ≈ the state average | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 38.7 42 cases ▲ 58% | 24.5 | 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 Houston County, chlamydia has fallen from 758.4 to 732.1 per 100,000 (3%), gonorrhea has fallen from 418.8 to 260.9 per 100,000 (38%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 17.7 to 45.2 per 100,000 (155%).
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 Houston County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Alabama 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.
Houston County HIV care continuum (2023)
Houston County recorded 18.7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Houston County residents living with HIV, 86.5% are in care · 71.6% 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 Houston County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Cottonwood Sports Complex anchors a town where most households own their homes outright and property values stay well below state averages, a cost structure that sounds comfortable until you factor in an unemployment rate that leaves a meaningful share of working-age residents without steady paychecks. With fewer than one in fifteen households clearing six figures and a labor-force participation rate that reflects how many people here simply aren't in traditional employment, out-of-pocket medical costs carry real weight. Routine screening can feel like a line item that competes with everything else.
That economic texture matters most for younger adults, people in their late teens and twenties who make up a notable slice of Cottonwood's population and are, statistically, in the years when STIs spread most readily. Larger-than-average household sizes and a relatively low share of married adults suggest a community with plenty of people navigating the kinds of relationship transitions that make periodic testing genuinely useful, not just cautionary. Houston County's STI picture adds its own reason not to wait.
Getting there
At 3.42/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Cottonwood 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 36320 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 36320 area around Cottonwood: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Cottonwood alone.
Cottonwood sits in Houston County, ZIP 36320. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Cottonwood? 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 Houston County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Alabama 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 Cottonwood-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 Cottonwood 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 Alabama 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 Alabama, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Alabama 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 AlabamaSource: 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.
Alabama Department of Public Health, about 10.4 mi away, with 7 options within 30 miles.
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.
Houston County reported ~732 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Alabama average.
At-home kits mail to 36320: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems, caught early, it's cured with antibiotics.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.