Gonorrhea in Carter County is reported about 40% lower than the US average. If you're considering whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Elizabethton, Tennessee, you'll find public clinics prioritize cost, private labs speed, and at-home kits convenience. Your local options are listed below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Elizabethton, TN. The nearest, Labcorp, is about 1.1 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.
Tennessee Department of Health in Elizabethton brings the infrastructure of a public health department to STI care: conventional HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis C, and TB testing with same-visit bacterial treatment, by appointment, all at no fee.
Tennessee Department of Health in Elizabethton charges nothing for any service it provides, testing, treatment, vaccines, PrEP, DoxyPEP. That zero-cost floor means a patient can follow through on treatment, return visits, and prevention without weighing each step against a bill.
Interpretation services are available for non-English-speaking patients at Tennessee Department of Health in Elizabethton, covering the full scope of care. From intake through counseling and treatment. Access to the clinical conversation itself, not just the paperwork, is what keeps care from stalling at a language gap.
Splitting PrEP, PEP, and DoxyPEP across multiple providers means delays, dropped follow-through, and gaps that matter. Tennessee Department of Health in Elizabethton prescribes all three under one roof, so prevention, whether ongoing or time-sensitive, doesn't hinge on coordinating across separate practices.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Johnson City Downtown Day Center, serving Johnson City, carries federal community health center standing that ties STI screening costs directly to each patient's income. Walk-ins are welcome, no appointment needed, for sliding-scale syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing across the full income spectrum.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
East Tennessee State University College of Nursing, in Johnson City, calibrates its fees to each patient's income. The federal health center model that ensures cost never bars care. Walk-in STI screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia without an appointment needed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Bluff City Medical Center, in Bluff City, ties its STI screening fees to patient income. Federal health center status means no one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening, with costs scaled to what you actually earn.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
East Tennessee State University in Johnson City tests for HIV, hepatitis B and C, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia on a sliding-scale fee accepted by Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance. Appointments are required, bacterial STIs are treated the same visit, and HPV and hepatitis vaccines are available alongside PrEP and PEP.
Ryan White funding at ETSU means someone managing HIV without a consistent care relationship, or carrying the cost of antiretroviral treatment out of pocket, has a single address for everything from initial testing through ongoing medical management. The program's structure ties financial assistance directly to clinical services, so medication access and monitoring don't depend on assembling separate resources.
Plenty of STI clinics run a panel and stop there, leaving prevention medication to a separate provider visit. ETSU prescribes both PrEP and PEP on-site, which means ongoing HIV prevention and post-exposure treatment live in the same clinical setting as the testing that informs them.
ETSU carries hepatitis C care through to treatment, direct-acting antivirals and the monitoring that accompanies them happen within the clinic rather than requiring a separate gastroenterology or infectious disease referral. For hepatitis B, the same on-site treatment capability applies, alongside prevention education and vaccine access.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
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 1 mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Elizabethton, 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 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 Carter 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.
1501 West Elk Avenue, Elizabethton, TN 37643
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1500 West Elk Avenue, Elizabethton, TN 37643
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Elizabethton. 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, 473 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Elizabethton. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 76 offer telehealth.
Lori Church, MD
Family medicine · 1500 West Elk Avenue, Elizabethton
Edward Fore, MD
Family medicine · 1633 Hillview Drive, Elizabethton
Michelle Davenport, MD
Internal medicine · 306 Pine Hill Road, Elizabethton
Scott May, MD
OB-GYN · 923 West G Street, Elizabethton
Megan Johnson Telehealth
Family medicine · 1497 West Elk Avenue, Elizabethton
Sheryl Pack, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1497 West Elk Avenue, Elizabethton
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 Elizabethton, TN 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.
Burgie Drug Store
0.5 miUnion Prescription of Elizabethton Tennessee
0.6 mi
0.8 mi Ingles Markets
0.8 miReed Pharmacy
0.9 mi
0.9 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Elizabethton, TN.
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 Elizabethton, 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 Carter County, the county that includes Elizabethton, compare with Tennessee and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~29% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#52 of 95 Tennessee counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 45% of the state
| Infection | Carter County | Tennessee | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 270.1 154 cases ▼ 48% | 517.4 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 107 61 cases ▼ 43% | 186.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 5.3 3 cases ▼ 64% | 14.8 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | — no data | 11.5 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 10.5 6 cases ▼ 60% | 26.4 | 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 Carter County, chlamydia has fallen from 317.6 to 270.1 per 100,000 (15%), gonorrhea has fallen from 186.3 to 107 per 100,000 (43%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.5 to 5.3 per 100,000 (51%).
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 Carter County.
Local HIV snapshot
Carter County HIV care continuum (2023)
Among Carter County residents living with HIV, 90.9% are in care · 88.6% 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 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 Carter County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
West Elk Avenue cuts through a city where home values stay well below state norms and typical rent hovers around levels that keep most households running on careful margins. That affordability shapes daily decisions in Elizabethton in ways worth understanding: when nearly half of residents rent rather than own, and fewer than one in eight households clears a six-figure income, out-of-pocket costs for anything health-related get weighed seriously. For younger adults in their late teens and twenties, a stage of life when relationships shift frequently and routine screening matters most, the calculus of time and money can be the quiet reason a test gets scheduled or quietly skipped.
Labor-force participation here runs notably below national averages, and the unemployment picture reflects a workforce that includes a real share of people managing irregular schedules or gaps between jobs. That pattern shows up in the Fairview and West Side parts of town as much as anywhere: getting to a clinic means carving out driving time along US 19E or Broad Street, often without the flexibility of salaried hours or employer-sponsored coverage behind you. The options are listed on this page, ranging from nearby to a genuine drive out of Carter County, so checking hours and fees against your own week before committing to one makes the difference in Elizabethton.
Getting there
At 5.61/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Elizabethton 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 37643 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 37643 area around Elizabethton: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Elizabethton alone.
Elizabethton sits in Carter County, ZIP 37643. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Elizabethton? 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 Carter County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Tennessee 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 an Elizabethton-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 Elizabethton 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Tennessee 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 TennesseeSource: 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.
Possibly, Johnson City, TN is close; compare it by distance against Labcorp.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, community and public clinics test the uninsured, with sliding-scale fees.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 270 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Tennessee average.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Tennessee, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
Start treatment, tell recent partners so they can test, avoid sex until cleared, and retest if advised, most STIs resolve with care.
Resistance is rising, which is why the CDC advises a particular treatment; don't self-treat, get tested and treated correctly.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.