STD Testing in Cottonwood, MN: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
Chlamydia reports in Lyon County run about 46% lower than the US average. Whether you're getting tested for the first time or as part of routine screening in Cottonwood, Minnesota, you can choose between community and public clinics that are often low-cost or free, or private labs that tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling.
6 testing options are listed for Cottonwood, MN. The nearest, Access Health - Marshall, is about 12.3 miles away. Compare 3 community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
How to read these listings
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.
Location unavailable — enter a ZIP code or city instead.
Community health center 12.3 miles
Access Health - Marshall
2.8(59)?Where these reviews come from
Review sources
Google54
EasySTD5
Rated 2.8 out of 5 from 59 reviews
Access Health - Marshall, located in Marshall, draws its sliding-scale fee structure from its federally qualified health center designation, meaning costs adjust to income for everyone. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. No appointment needed to get tested.
Southwestern Minnesota Opportunity Council in Marshall runs STI care by appointment, with each visit covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and rapid or conventional HIV testing alongside family planning, partner notification, and same-visit bacterial treatment on a sliding-scale fee.
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 13 miles from Cottonwood. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Address
1401 Nwakama St Suite 100, Marshall, MN 56258
Tests offered
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
HIV
Premium Partner
Sanford Health Laboratories
Highest rated Results in 1–2 days
4.0(5)?Where these reviews come from
Review sources
Google4
EasySTD1
Rated 4 out of 5 from 5 reviews
Address
922 22nd Avenue South, Brookings, SD 57006 58.4 miles away
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.
The nearest testing center is about 12 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
Panel:
8-infection panel incl. chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis & herpes: single tests too
Sample:
Quest Mobile: a phlebotomist collects your sample at home
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
Other CLIA-certified labs near Cottonwood, MN
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Lyon 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.
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
Clinicians near Cottonwood, MN who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 71 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 18 offer telehealth.
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
Pharmacies near Cottonwood, MN
No pharmacy near Cottonwood, MN 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.
Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Cottonwood, MN.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
PrEP, prevention & online 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.
PrEP & DoxyPEP
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
STDs & HIV in Lyon County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Lyon County, the county that includes Cottonwood, compare with Minnesota 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.
#26
#26 of 87 Minnesota counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 70% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Lyon County vs Minnesota vs U.S.
Lyon CountyMinnesotaU.S.▲▼ = Lyon County vs the state average
Infection
Lyon County
Minnesota
United States
Chlamydia
267.468 cases▼ 30%
379.5
492.2
Gonorrhea
27.57 cases▼ 80%
134.5
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
— no data
8.7
15.8
Syphilis (early)
— no data
6.7
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
7.92 cases▼ 46%
14.7
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.
Reported STD rates in Lyon County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▼ 13% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Lyon County, chlamydia has risen from 225.6 to 267.4 per 100,000 (19%), gonorrhea has fallen from 43.5 to 27.5 per 100,000 (37%), and P&S syphilis has held roughly steady from 4 to 4 per 100,000.
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
What shapes testing access in and around Cottonwood, MN
Adults uninsured
7.1%
No routine checkup
24.9%
No transportation
6.7%
Binge drinking
19.5%
Frequent mental distress
15.6%
Depression
23.6%
Below poverty line
7%
Primary-care ratio
1,201 : 1
Lyon County
Primary-care shortage score 15 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 45.7
Social Vulnerability Index · 53rd percentile nationally
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 Lyon County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Lyon County (2023)
People living with HIV
68 / 100k
New diagnoses (2023)
0cases countywide
PrEP users / 100k
39
Lyon County HIV care continuum (2023)
Lyon County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6.7 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Lyon County residents living with HIV, 71.4% are in care · 71.4% 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.
Pregnant or planning to be?
Congenital syphilis is the fastest-rising STI: what to test, and when
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 Lyon County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines → (opens in a new tab)
MN Highway 23 runs straight through Cottonwood and out toward Marshall, and that stretch of road is the honest measure of what a screening appointment costs in time here: most errands, including a clinic visit, mean planning around a drive rather than a walk down the block. With most households owning rather than renting, and typical rent well under what you'd find in a larger Minnesota city, money that might go toward housing costs elsewhere can stretch further here, which matters when a visit also means gas and time away from work.
That last part counts for something, given how tight the labor market is locally. With most of the workforce employed and few sitting idle, clinic hours that overlap with a normal workday are the real obstacle, not cost or hesitation. For the younger adults in town, people still early in dating and relationships, the ones most exposed to new infections, getting tested shouldn't require burning a half-day of PTO or waiting for a rare Saturday slot.
Households here tend to run larger than the state average, with many built around marriage and family life. In homes with kids, aging parents, or a spouse's schedule to coordinate, an individual health errand like STI testing often gets folded into whatever else is already planned for that drive down MN 23, not treated as its own trip.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Cottonwood, MN
Walkability6.29 / 20 · Below average
At 6.29/20 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 56229 snapshot
Residents
1,729
Median age
41.5
Median income
$99,821
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 56229 area around Cottonwood: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Cottonwood alone.
Cottonwood sits in Lyon County, ZIP 56229. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Major routes
MN 23 (MN Highway 23)
Nearby cities & towns
Nearby cities and towns near Cottonwood, MN
Just outside Cottonwood? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Cottonwood, MN: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Lyon County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Minnesota law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Who should test, and when
CDC screening schedule + each infection's detection window
Who should get tested, and how often
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
When to test: STD detection windows
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Cottonwood-area provider.
Medicare reference prices per lab test, a benchmark before you pay out of pocket
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.
Confidentiality & consent in Minnesota
Minor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on Minnesota 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).
Can a minor consent on their own?
In Minnesota, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Can my partner be treated too? (EPT)
Minnesota 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.
