Shasta County reports about 42 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents, well above the US average so testing for STIs can be important before starting a new relationship in Cottonwood, California. If you're looking for fast results, some clinics take walk-ins for same-day testing. Lab and at-home kits can fit your schedule better, too. Read on to compare options nearby.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Cottonwood, CA. The nearest, Dignity Health, is about 0.4 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.
A safety-net rural health clinic in Cottonwood. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Anderson Family Health Center, in Anderson, earns its federally qualified designation partly by tying STI screening fees to patients' actual income: meaning syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing is available on a sliding scale to anyone who walks in, regardless of insurance status.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Shasta Community Health Center in Anderson runs STI testing by appointment, with the full standard panel, sliding-scale fees, same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines available at the same visit.
Leaving herpes or hepatitis off the panel means a second visit, a separate lab order, and weeks of not knowing. Shasta Community Health Center tests for herpes, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Closing those gaps in a single appointment in Anderson.
When a patient can only partially follow what's being said, dosing instructions get missed and follow-up questions go unasked, and that's where treatment breaks down. At Shasta Community Health Center, care is delivered directly in Spanish, so every part of the visit carries the same weight.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
The Hartman House in Redding carries federal FQHC standing, meaning its sliding-scale fees are tied to household income, so whether someone is between providers, paying cash, or managing without insurance, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening stays financially within reach. No appointment needed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Shasta County Health and Human Services in Redding tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C at no charge, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and sliding-scale fees on other services. An appointment is required.
All services at Shasta County Health and Human Services carry no fee, which means the cost of testing, treatment, and vaccines never becomes a reason to delay or skip care.
Spanish-language care at this clinic is delivered by staff who work in Spanish directly: counseling, results, and treatment discussions happen in Spanish without relay or intermediary, keeping the clinical conversation accurate and uninterrupted.
Shasta County Health and Human Services adds hepatitis C to its standard bacterial and HIV panel, so a single visit screens for both bloodborne and sexually transmitted infections. Narrowing the gap between exposure and diagnosis without a separate appointment.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 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 less than a mile 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 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 Shasta 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.
2175 Rosaline Avenue, Redding, CA 96001
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
2900 Eureka Way, Redding, CA 96001
CMS-certified lab
2801 Eureka Way, Redding, CA 96001
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
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, 106 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 20 offer telehealth.
Nirmal Mehton, MD
Family medicine · 2830 East Street, Anderson
Calista Vinyard, DO
Family medicine · 2965 East Street, Anderson
John Nepomuceno, MD
Family medicine · 3300 Franklin Street, Anderson
Rodney Swenson, DO
Family medicine · 3082 Mcmurray Drive, Anderson
Emily Patterson, DO
Family medicine · 3270 Churn Creek Road, Redding
Jennifer Kang, MD Telehealth
OB-GYN · 2216 Buenaventura Boulevard, Redding
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, CA 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
0.3 mi
2.9 mi 
4.3 mi 
4.3 mi Showing the 4 closest pharmacies to Cottonwood, CA.
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.
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
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
$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 Shasta County, the county that includes Cottonwood, compare with California and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~24% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#40 of 58 California counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 31% of the state
| Infection | Shasta County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 287.2 518 cases ▼ 42% | 491.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 100.4 181 cases ▼ 47% | 190.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 42.1 76 cases ▲ 158% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 9.4 17 cases ▼ 51% | 19.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 29.4 53 cases ▼ 37% | 46.7 | 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 Shasta County, chlamydia has fallen from 347 to 287.2 per 100,000 (17%), gonorrhea has fallen from 203.7 to 100.4 per 100,000 (51%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 59.8 to 42.1 per 100,000 (30%).
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 Shasta County.
Local HIV snapshot
Shasta County HIV care continuum (2023)
Shasta County recorded 7.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.9 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Shasta County residents living with HIV, 86% are in care · 75.4% 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 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 Shasta County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Cottonwood's Historic District anchors a community where a solid majority of households own their homes and have put down real roots, many of them families, given the average household runs three people. That stability shapes how people organize their days, but it doesn't erase the scheduling pressure that comes with a labor force where participation is already selective: many residents simply aren't working standard nine-to-five schedules, and the ones who are have little slack for midweek appointments. With fewer than one in ten households clearing six figures, out-of-pocket costs matter, and a $900-a-month rental burden leaves renters with limited room to absorb surprise expenses.
Including anything that feels optional until it isn't. The stretch along I-5 connecting Cottonwood to surrounding Shasta County towns is familiar, but it's still a real drive. That's exactly what makes the range of options listed here worth scanning carefully: some offer sliding-scale fees, others extended hours, and the variation across them means a household near Volonte Park has genuinely different choices than someone commuting the I-5 corridor daily.
Getting there
At 6.75/20 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 96022 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 96022 area around Cottonwood: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Cottonwood alone.
Cottonwood sits in Shasta County, ZIP 96022. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
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 Shasta County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under California 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 California 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 California, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
California 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 CaliforniaSource: 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.
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.
Shasta County reported ~287 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the California average.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In California, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
At-home kits mail to 96022: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Your results are part of your HIPAA-protected medical record; you can ask any clinic about its own privacy practices.
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.