Syphilis cases in St. Tammany Parish run about 47% lower than the US average. Whether you're experiencing symptoms or just seeking peace of mind, Folsom, Louisiana offers both community clinics and private labs for testing. Community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs typically offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. See your options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Folsom, LA. The nearest, Start Community Health Center, is about 11.2 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.
Start Community Health Center in Covington tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB on a sliding-scale fee open to all, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and appointments required, and care is delivered in Spanish.
Without a Spanish-speaking provider in the room, a patient often leaves with instructions they can't act on. Labs unread, treatment delayed, follow-up missed. At Start Community Health Center, clinical care itself is conducted in Spanish, so nothing essential gets lost between diagnosis and recovery.
Start Community Health Center prescribes both PrEP and PEP on-site, which means ongoing HIV prevention is managed within the same relationship as your STI testing. No separate infectious-disease appointment needed to get started or stay on it.
A hepatitis C diagnosis that requires a specialist referral can mean months of scheduling, cost, and uncertainty before treatment even starts, and active infection continues the entire time. Start Community Health Center treats hepatitis C on-site, closing that gap at the point of diagnosis.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
RKM Primary Care Loranger, serving Loranger, welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federal qualification backs a sliding-scale fee tied to income, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing reachable in a single visit regardless of what someone can pay.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
RKM Primary Care in Loranger covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing alongside same-visit treatment for bacterial infections when results call for it. Family planning and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines round out a visit. Fees run on a sliding scale, with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance all accepted. Appointments required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · 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 11 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Folsom, 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 St. Tammany Parish, 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.
900 Ochsner Boulevard, Covington, LA 70433
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
95 Judge Tanner Boulevard, Covington, LA 70433
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
2104 Gause Blvd West, Suite A, Slidell, LA 70460
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Folsom. 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, 245 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Folsom. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 65 offer telehealth.
Victoria Blossman, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 82525 Hwy 25, Folsom
Eleanor Cook, MD
Family medicine · 17240 Heartbeat Circle, Covington
Spencer Pinion, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 56 Starbrush Circle, Covington
Farah Ali, DO Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1111 Greengate Drive, Covington
Lara Boudreaux, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 7015 Hwy 190 East Service Road, Covington
Dale Presser, MD
Internal medicine · 71070 Hwy 21, Covington
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 Folsom, LA 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.
Folsom Family Pharmacy
0.6 miLee Road Family Pharmacy
7.6 miLee Road Drugs
7.8 miRX-Vip
10 miShowing the 4 closest pharmacies to Folsom, LA.
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 Folsom, 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 $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
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 St. Tammany Parish, the parish that includes Folsom, compare with Louisiana and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~15% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#61 of 64 Louisiana counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 5% of the state
| Infection | St. Tammany Parish | Louisiana | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 417.7 1,151 cases ▼ 47% | 792.4 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 116.1 320 cases ▼ 60% | 288.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 8.3 23 cases ▼ 68% | 26.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 6.9 19 cases ▼ 65% | 19.6 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 16.3 45 cases ▼ 69% | 52.6 | 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 St. Tammany Parish, chlamydia has risen from 367.4 to 417.7 per 100,000 (14%), gonorrhea has fallen from 130 to 116.1 per 100,000 (11%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 4.9 to 8.3 per 100,000 (69%).
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 St. Tammany Parish.
Local HIV snapshot
St. Tammany Parish HIV care continuum (2023)
St. Tammany Parish recorded 7.8 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 22.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among St. Tammany Parish residents living with HIV, 84.8% are in care · 78.3% 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 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 St. Tammany Parish tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Highway 25 threads through Folsom's quieter stretches, and the renters here (a substantial share of residents, paying rents that leave little cushion) tend to be younger adults still sorting out work, relationships, and what a regular healthcare visit even looks like. With average households running closer to three and a half people and nearly half of adults married, Folsom skews toward rooted, family-oriented living; but that stability doesn't mean everyone has an easy path to routine screening. Labor-force participation sits below the national norm, and with only a modest slice of households reaching higher income brackets, out-of-pocket costs for any healthcare visit carry real weight. For people in their late teens and twenties, the years when STI rates climb sharply and testing matters most, the calculus often comes down to whether an appointment is affordable and whether it fits around an irregular work schedule.
The options listed on this page reflect that reality, ranging in fees and hours to accommodate different situations. What those listings can't change is the drive. That physical distance is the concrete thing standing between a resident and a result, and it's exactly what makes choosing the most accessible option on this page worth a few minutes of comparison first.
Getting there
At 7.05/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Folsom 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 70437 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 70437 area around Folsom: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Folsom alone.
Folsom sits in St. Tammany Parish, ZIP 70437. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Folsom? 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 St. Tammany Parish: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Louisiana 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 Folsom-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 Folsom 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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Louisiana 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 LouisianaSource: 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, Hammond, LA is close; compare it by distance against Start Community Health Center.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing.
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 418 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Louisiana average.
In Louisiana, 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.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
Yes, at-home kits ship to 70437; you collect a sample, mail it back, and get results in about 2–5 days.
Public health clinics, family-planning clinics, and many school or campus health centers test teens and young adults, often free.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.