Jefferson County runs about 46% lower than the US average for reported gonorrhea cases. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Empire, Ohio, consider how much time you have and prefer to spend. Some clinics take walk-ins for same-day testing, while labs and at-home kits let you plan around your own time. To find out your best choice, see the list below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Empire, OH. The nearest, Hancock County Health Department, is about 1.3 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.
Hancock County Health Department in New Cumberland runs rapid and conventional HIV testing alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections confirmed on site. All on a sliding scale, by appointment.
Sliding-scale fees still leave a balance for plenty of people. At Hancock County Health Department, the scale bottoms out at zero: STI and HIV testing, vaccines, and treatment carry no charge regardless of what you earn or whether you're insured.
Family planning clinics that accept public funding aren't automatically bound to offer minors the same protections. Hancock County Health Department holds Title X designation, which means family planning services for minors are legally confidential. A guarantee built into federal statute, not a policy that can shift.
Leaving hepatitis B or C untested means a second appointment somewhere else, and a gap in the picture your results paint. Hancock County Health Department tests for both hepatitis B and C on the same visit as gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, so nothing gets deferred to a follow-up that may never happen.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 7 miles from Empire. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Change in Newell weaves STI testing into broader community health services, covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV on a sliding-scale fee with appointments required: HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines available alongside treatment for bacterial infections.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · 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 about 1 mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Empire, 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 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 Jefferson 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.
423 South Street, Steubenville, OH 43952
CMS-certified lab
4100 Johnson Road, Suite 200, Steubenville, OH 43952
CMS-certified lab
4000 Johnson Road, Steubenville, OH 43952
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Empire. 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, 420 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Empire. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 124 offer telehealth.
Martin Owen, MD
Family medicine · 1800 Franklin Street, Toronto
Kenneth Woods, DO Telehealth
Infectious disease · 2416 Pennsylvania Avenue, Weirton
Krzysztof Kubicki, MD
Internal medicine · 101 California Avenue, Chester
Derek Harshaw, DO
Internal medicine · 130 West 4th Street, East Liverpool
John Wright, MD
OB-GYN · 425 West 5th Street, East Liverpool
Roman Davidenko, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 425 West 5th Street, East Liverpool
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 Empire, OH 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.
Davis Brothers Pharmacy
0.9 miLoucas-Karnoupakis Enterprises
1.8 miR L Lewis
3.4 miToronto Apothecary
4.2 mi
4.3 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Empire, OH.
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 Empire, 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.
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
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions 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 Jefferson County, the county that includes Empire, compare with Ohio and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~31% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#40 of 88 Ohio counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 55% of the state
| Infection | Jefferson County | Ohio | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 251.5 161 cases ▼ 46% | 461.7 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 96.8 62 cases ▼ 42% | 168 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 4.7 3 cases ▼ 71% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 1.6 1 cases ▼ 83% | 9.2 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 1.6 1 cases ▼ 90% | 16 | 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 Jefferson County, chlamydia has fallen from 309.6 to 251.5 per 100,000 (19%), gonorrhea has fallen from 122.6 to 96.8 per 100,000 (21%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 1.5 to 4.7 per 100,000 (213%).
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 Jefferson County.
Local HIV snapshot
Jefferson County HIV care continuum (2023)
Among Jefferson County residents living with HIV, 65.3% are in care · 49.3% 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 Jefferson County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Ridgeland Heights sits mostly owner-occupied, where households have put down roots and settled into routines built around steady work, which is exactly why a screening appointment can be hard to prioritize when nearly four in ten adults aren't actively in the workforce and those who are keep schedules that leave little margin. That demographic reality, combined with the sizable share of young adults in their late teens and twenties living across Empire's neighborhoods, makes access to testing something worth thinking through deliberately rather than assuming it will just happen. Jefferson County's STI picture gives context that no single household stat fully captures: the age group most likely to be forming new relationships and least likely to have seen a provider recently makes up a meaningful portion of this community.
For renters, about a quarter of Empire residents, cost pressure and shorter housing tenures can add another layer of hesitation around any out-of-pocket health expense. That range matters: some offer sliding-scale fees, others evening availability, and the mix means a Ridgeland Heights resident can match a clinic's terms to their actual situation rather than working around a single inflexible choice.
Getting there
At 3.47/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Empire 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 43964 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 43964 area around Empire: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Empire alone.
Empire sits in Jefferson County, ZIP 43964. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Empire? 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 Jefferson County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Ohio 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 Empire-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 Empire 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 Ohio 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 Ohio, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Ohio 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 OhioSource: 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.
Free at public clinics. Private labs run about $24 for one test and $139 for a full panel; at-home kits are $49+.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Jefferson County reported ~252 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Ohio average.
In Ohio, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
At-home kits mail to 43964: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Pregnancy screening is standard; ask about an early-pregnancy STI panel.
Clinics give immediate care and treatment; home kits win on convenience and discretion. Either works.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.