In Cerro Gordo County, reported gonorrhea runs about 66% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or simply test on a regular schedule in Dougherty, Iowa, you can weigh having insurance billed at a clinic or paying a flat self-pay price at a private lab. See your options below.
Available testing centers
5 testing options are listed for Dougherty, IA. The nearest, Belmond Community Hospital, is about 8.7 miles away. Compare 2 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 community safety-net rural health clinic about 9 miles from Dougherty. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Review sources
A safety-net rural health clinic about 15 miles from Dougherty. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
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 |
|---|
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. Widen the distance or clear the service-type filter.
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 9 miles away, if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Dougherty, 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 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 Cerro Gordo 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.
1000 Fourth Street Southwest, Mason City, IA 50401
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
478 Tiffany Drive, Mason City, IA 50401
CMS-certified lab
2420 4th Street Southwest, Mason City, IA 50401
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Dougherty. 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, 104 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Dougherty. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 21 offer telehealth.
Lisa Kapler, MD
Family medicine · 203 South 2nd Street, Sheffield
Rosemarie Freymark, MD
Family medicine · 1720 Central Avenue East, Hampton
Lisa Kies, MD
Family medicine · 903 West Congress, Nora Springs
Joseph Kinskey, MD
Family medicine · 1420 4th Street Southeast, Mason City
Sandra Leticia Crosara, MD Telehealth
Infectious disease · 1000 4th Street Southwest, Mason City
Fnu Dayawa Da Agoons, MD
Internal medicine · 1000 4th Street Southwest, Mason City
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
Compare the pharmacies closest to Dougherty, IA. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
Mercy Health Services-Iowa
9.2 miAllimont Pharmacies
12 miKoerner Whipple Pharmacy
15 miRicks Pharmacy
15 miShowing the 4 closest pharmacies to Dougherty, IA.
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 Dougherty, 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.
Online treatment
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
PrEP & DoxyPEP
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Online treatment
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
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
How reported STI rates in Cerro Gordo County, the county that includes Dougherty, compare with Iowa and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~21% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#22 of 99 Iowa counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 78% of the state
| Infection | Cerro Gordo County | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 358.4 152 cases ▼ 16% | 426.8 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 61.3 26 cases ▼ 48% | 116.8 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 9.4 4 cases ▼ 9% | 10.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 11.8 5 cases ▲ 28% | 9.2 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 2.4 1 cases ▼ 76% | 9.9 | 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 Cerro Gordo County, chlamydia has fallen from 459.1 to 358.4 per 100,000 (22%), gonorrhea has fallen from 280.6 to 61.3 per 100,000 (78%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 7 to 9.4 per 100,000 (34%).
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
Primary-care shortage score 10 / 26
Social Vulnerability Index · 13th 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 Cerro Gordo County.
Local HIV snapshot
Cerro Gordo County HIV care continuum (2023)
Cerro Gordo County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 5.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Cerro Gordo County residents living with HIV, 83.9% are in care · 71% 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 Cerro Gordo County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Editorially Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
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 →
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Dougherty's position within Cerro Gordo County, a county where STI rates carry real weight, means that a routine screening isn't something residents can simply walk to on a lunch break. That's where the household economics of this small Iowa community matter. With no households in the top income tier and unemployment running at a level that leaves some residents stretched, even a modest co-pay or an afternoon off work can be enough to delay something that shouldn't wait.
Most adults here own their homes and are part of settled family households, but that stability doesn't extend evenly to everyone, and the younger adults still in those peak-risk years for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and other infections often face the tightest schedules and the thinnest financial cushion at the same time. Labor-force participation here means many people are working structured hours, which makes the range of appointment times among options listed on this page worth checking carefully before you commit to a single clinic. The highway out of Dougherty leads somewhere with an option that fits your calendar, and that's the one practical step worth taking today.
Getting there
At 4.91/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Dougherty 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 50433 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 50433 area around Dougherty: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Dougherty alone.
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Dougherty? 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 Cerro Gordo County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Iowa 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 Dougherty-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 Dougherty 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 Iowa 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 Iowa, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own; a parent may be notified only in the case of a positive HIV test result.
Iowa 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 IowaSource: 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.
The closest is Belmond Community Hospital (8.7 mi); 2 options are within 30 miles.
Private labs ~$24–$139, at-home kits $49+.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 358 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Iowa average.
In Iowa, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Medical records are protected under federal HIPAA law, ask the clinic how it handles your information.
It means an infection was found; a provider confirms it and starts treatment, most STIs are curable or manageable.
An exam can spot some signs, but most STIs are invisible without a lab test, an exam alone can't rule them out.
A retest around 3 months after treatment is recommended for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
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.