In Ellis County, Texas, reported gonorrhea rates run about 38% lower than the US average. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Ferris, Texas, consider that some clinics offer same-day testing with walk-ins, while labs and at-home kits let you choose your own timing. See your options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Ferris, TX. The nearest, St Paul Medical Clinic, is about 6.7 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.
St Paul Medical Clinic in Lancaster runs on appointments, so scheduling ahead is the move before you arrive. A single visit covers rapid and conventional HIV testing, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia: with bacterial STIs treated the same day on a sliding-scale fee structure that accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
FirstLook Sexual Health and Pregnancy Center in Waxahachie tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia, treats bacterial STIs at the same visit, and covers family planning. All by appointment, all at no charge to anyone who walks through the door.
FirstLook Sexual Health and Pregnancy Center carries no fee for any service it provides: testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, and family planning alike. For anyone paying cash without a regular provider, that means gonorrhea or chlamydia gets treated the same day it's caught, with no out-of-pocket cost at any point.
Many sexual health clinics manage non-English conversations on the fly, leaving patients to piece together clinical details through fragmented exchanges. FirstLook in Waxahachie integrates interpretation services directly into care, so the conversation around testing, diagnosis, and treatment happens with full clarity from the start.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Dallas Deflection Center-Homeward Bound, in Dallas, structures its fees on a sliding scale tied to income. Meaning the cost adjusts to what patients can actually pay. As a federally qualified health center, it provides STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with no appointment needed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Parkland Health in Dallas tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB on a sliding scale open to everyone. With same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and HPV and hepatitis A and B vaccines on-site. Appointments are required.
Parkland Health operates under a structure where every clinical service (testing, treatment, counseling, and vaccination) is provided at no charge to the patient. That zero-fee baseline is built into the clinic's funding model, not applied selectively by visit type or service category.
Spanish is spoken directly in care at Parkland Health in Dallas, and interpretation services for other languages are coordinated as part of the appointment itself. Meaning the clinical conversation, not just check-in, runs in the patient's language from the provider side.
Parkland Health tests for herpes and all three hepatitis strains (A, B, and C) alongside HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, so a single appointment produces a more complete picture and spares patients from scheduling separate specialist visits to fill those gaps.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Foremost Family Health Centers, a family practice in Balch Springs, folds STI testing into the same ongoing care relationship where appointments are standard. The sliding-scale fee applies across the panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, and herpes) with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines available.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
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 7 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Ferris, 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 value: single tests
$49 & 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 Ellis 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.
2600 West Pleasant Run Road, Lancaster, TX 75146
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1201 East US Hwy 287, Midlothian, TX 76065
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
2460 North I-35 Suite 285, Waxahachie, TX 75165
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Ferris. 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, 2,871 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Ferris. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 1,019 offer telehealth.
Robert Megna, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 207 West 5th Street, Ferris
Kyle Kalra, DO
Family medicine · 2600 West Pleasant Run Road, Lancaster
Brian Nelson, MD
Family medicine · 1450 West Pleasant Run Road, Lancaster
Adrian Padilla, MD
Internal medicine · 101 Reese Drive, Red Oak
Marvin Fojtasek, MD
Infectious disease · 106 Plaza Drive, Red Oak
Jon Gonzalez, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 2424 West Pleasant Run, Lancaster
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 Ferris, TX 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.
Us Drug Mart
0.5 mi
6.9 mi Minyard Pharmacy
7.9 mi
8.5 mi MGS Pharmacy
8.6 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Ferris, TX.
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 Ferris, 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 Ellis County, the county that includes Ferris, compare with Texas 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.
#98 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 61% of the state
| Infection | Ellis County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 357.7 797 cases ▼ 27% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 111.3 248 cases ▼ 37% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 6.3 14 cases ▼ 58% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 11.2 25 cases ▼ 58% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 20.6 46 cases ▼ 53% | 44.3 | 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 Ellis County, chlamydia has risen from 333.6 to 357.7 per 100,000 (7%), gonorrhea has fallen from 126.8 to 111.3 per 100,000 (12%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 5.7 to 6.3 per 100,000 (11%).
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 Ellis County.
Local HIV snapshot
Ellis County HIV care continuum (2023)
Ellis County recorded 12.6 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Ellis County residents living with HIV, 87% are in care · 71.2% 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 Ellis County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Ferris Memorial Park sits at the center of a town where most households are built around couples and children: an average of more than three people per home, and nearly six in ten adults married. Health decisions here tend to happen in the context of family schedules, shared budgets, and the rhythms of a workforce where the vast majority of adults are employed and most days are already spoken for. That household character shapes what getting tested actually looks like. Rent running close to a thousand dollars a month against home values that reflect a genuinely modest local economy means discretionary spending gets weighed carefully, and an afternoon off work carries real cost.
Something that matters when time is the resource most households here can least afford to spare. For younger adults in their late teens and twenties, who are forming relationships and building the routines that carry into their thirties, that combination of distance and packed schedules is exactly what causes a routine test to keep getting postponed. Ellis County's STI figures give those postponements weight. Staying current with screening isn't about crisis, it's simply what responsible health maintenance looks like when you're living inside numbers that have real local meaning.
Getting there
At 6.13/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Ferris 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 75146 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 75146 area around Ferris: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Ferris alone.
Ferris sits in Ellis County, ZIP 75146. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Ferris? 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 Ellis County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas 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 Ferris-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 Ferris 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 Texas 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 Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Texas 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 TexasSource: 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.
9 testing options are within 30 miles of Ferris, TX.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, FirstLook Sexual Health and Pregnancy Center (12.3 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 358 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Texas average.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Public health clinics, family-planning clinics, and many school or campus health centers test teens and young adults, often free.
That's a myth; STIs need sexual contact to spread, not surfaces.
Community health centers and family-planning clinics serve all patients, and many offer LGBTQ-affirming care, ask the site directly.
Roughly 2–6 weeks by test type; a 3-month retest gives full confidence in a negative.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.