Kanawha County reports about 13 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 residents, near the US average. Whether you're testing before starting a new relationship or as part of ongoing care in Elk Forest, West Virginia, weigh the convenience of private labs against the potential cost savings of local clinics. Find your options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Elk Forest, WV. The nearest, FamilyCare Health Center - Children's Medicine Center, is about 3.2 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.
FamilyCare Health Center - Children's Medicine Center, in Charleston, welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Sliding-scale fees, set by income, apply to syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing at this federally qualified health center, making a single visit straightforward for anyone who needs it.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Women's Health Center of West Virginia in Charleston runs every service (HIV, hepatitis A/B/C, herpes, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing) at no cost, with sliding-scale fees and Medicaid and private insurance accepted for other care. Walk-ins are welcome, and bacterial STIs are treated the same visit.
The no-fee structure at Women's Health Center of West Virginia isn't a discount applied to a subset of visits: it's operationally embedded across the full panel: testing, treatment, counseling, and prevention services are all covered. Staff are resourced to deliver HIV/AIDS medical management, hepatitis C treatment, and PrEP alongside testing without tiering services by what a patient can pay.
Leaving a testing clinic with a positive prevention need and no prescription in hand means another appointment, another provider, and a gap where risk continues. Women's Health Center of West Virginia carries PrEP and PEP within its own clinical scope, so the decision to start either medication happens in the same setting as the conversation about why it's warranted.
A hepatitis C antibody result that requires a second provider for treatment introduces delays that let active infection progress. Women's Health Center of West Virginia staffs hepatitis C treatment directly: meaning a confirmed diagnosis moves into a managed treatment plan within the same clinic, without handoff to a separate gastroenterology or infectious disease practice.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Valley Health SCP Charleston 108, in Charleston, earned its federally qualified designation by committing to serve patients regardless of insurance status or income. Including those paying out of pocket. Sliding-scale fees apply to STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, and no appointment is required to be seen.
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 3 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Elk Forest, 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 Kanawha 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.
708 Bigley Avenue, Charleston, WV 25302
CMS-certified lab
510 Washington Street West, Charleston, WV 25302
CMS-certified lab
108 Washington Street West Suite 102, Charleston, WV 25302
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 3 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Elk Forest. 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, 332 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Elk Forest. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 97 offer telehealth.
Kelly Hager, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 600 Tracy Way, Charleston
Vincent Morra, DO
Family medicine · 100 Tracy Way, Charleston
Farzin Rahmanou, DO Telehealth
Internal medicine · 800 Association Drive, Charleston
David Bassilly, MD
Internal medicine · 400 Association Drive, Charleston
Teresa Sitler, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 300 Kenton Drive, Charleston
Jennifer Ladd Telehealth
Family medicine · 500 Donnally Street, Charleston
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 Elk Forest, WV 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.
Good Family Good Life Pharmacy
1.3 miFruth Pharmacy
2.7 miRX By Tel Pharmacy & Vitamin Center
3.2 mi
3.4 mi Fruth Pharmacy at Prestera Center
3.4 mi
3.5 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Elk Forest, WV.
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 Elk Forest, 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
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 Kanawha County, the county that includes Elk Forest, compare with West Virginia and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~25% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#1 of 55 West Virginia counties for chlamydia, among the very highest in the state
| Infection | Kanawha County | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 414.7 725 cases ▲ 67% | 249 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 105.8 185 cases ▲ 93% | 54.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 26.9 47 cases ▲ 147% | 10.9 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 12 21 cases ▲ 97% | 6.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 48.6 85 cases ▲ 198% | 16.3 | 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 Kanawha County, chlamydia has fallen from 441.5 to 414.7 per 100,000 (6%), gonorrhea has fallen from 213 to 105.8 per 100,000 (50%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 11.6 to 26.9 per 100,000 (132%).
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 Kanawha County.
Local HIV snapshot
Kanawha County HIV care continuum (2023)
Kanawha County recorded 13.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Kanawha County residents living with HIV, 85.5% are in care · 77.9% 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 Kanawha County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Edgewood Acres sits quietly between the Elk River corridor and the stretch of US 119 where Pennsylvania Avenue bends toward the older commercial strips: a neighborhood where most households are small, often just two people, and where owning your own place is the norm rather than the exception. That ownership majority shapes daily rhythms differently than a renter-heavy city might: people here tend to stay put, build routines around the same streets, and notice when a health resource is genuinely reachable versus technically available. With nearly four in ten households renting at a rent level that leaves little slack in a monthly budget, a testing visit that costs real money or burns a full afternoon of leave can easily become something postponed indefinitely. The workforce picture adds another layer.
With labor-force participation below two-thirds and a meaningful share of residents not currently working, clinic hours and transportation become the practical gatekeepers, and in a place where walking to most destinations isn't realistic, every extra mile on Crescent Road or the Bigley Avenue stretch of US 119 is a small disincentive that compounds over time. For people in their late teens and twenties, the years when STI exposure climbs steeply, Elk Forest's listed options mean real choices: same-week slots, sliding-scale fees, and locations accessible by the routes most residents already drive. That variety matters most when the barrier is logistics, not intention.
Getting there
At 8.47/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Elk Forest 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 25302 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 25302 area around Elk Forest: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Elk Forest alone.
Elk Forest sits in Kanawha County, ZIP 25302. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Elk Forest? 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 Kanawha County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under West Virginia 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 Elk Forest-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 Elk Forest 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
West Virginia 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 West VirginiaSource: 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, Charleston, WV is close; compare it by distance against Valley Health SCP Charleston 108.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, Womens Health Center of West Virginia (3.2 mi) offers free testing, and public clinics serve the uninsured.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 415 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the West Virginia average.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
In West Virginia, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
Medical records are protected under federal HIPAA law, ask the clinic how it handles your information.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.