Douglas County's syphilis rate is 84% lower than the US average. If you need testing in Forada, Minnesota whether after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, you can weigh community clinics, which are often low-cost or free, against private labs, which often offer quicker results and more scheduling flexibility. Options are listed below.
Available testing centers
6 testing options are listed for Forada, MN. The nearest, Sanford Health Laboratories, is about 6.0 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.
Horizon Public Health in Alexandria operates within a public health department, weaving STI care into the broader work of community health: gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV testing alongside TB screening, treatment, and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines, all on a sliding-scale fee with an appointment.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 10 miles from Forada. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 15 miles from Forada. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
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 6 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Forada, 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 Douglas 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.
110 Voyager Drive, Alexandria, MN 56308
CMS-certified lab
610 30th Avenue West, Alexandria, MN 56308
CMS-certified lab
111 17th Avenue East, Alexandria, MN 56308
CMS-certified lab
410 30th Avenue East, Alexandria, MN 56308
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 4 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Forada. 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, 98 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Forada. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 24 offer telehealth.
Andrea Boe, MD
Internal medicine · 610 30th Avenue West, Alexandria
Trista Nelson, MD
Internal medicine · 111 17th Avenue East, Alexandria
Juliette Power, MD
Internal medicine · 111 17th East Avenue, Alexandria
Sujatha Roberts, MD
OB-GYN · 1527 Broadway Street, Alexandria
Michael Claussen, MD
Family medicine · 10 4th Avenue Southeast, Glenwood
Rwanda Campbell, MD
OB-GYN · 417 Franklin Street South, Glenwood
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 Forada, MN 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.
4.3 mi 
4.6 mi Trumm Drug
5.3 miCub Pharmacy
5.3 miTrumm Drug Clinic Pharmacy
5.3 miAlexandria Apothecary
6.1 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Forada, MN.
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 Forada, 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.
$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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 Douglas County, the county that includes Forada, compare with Minnesota and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~17% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#54 of 87 Minnesota counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 38% of the state
| Infection | Douglas County | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 180.2 72 cases ▼ 53% | 379.5 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 20 8 cases ▼ 85% | 134.5 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 2.5 1 cases ▼ 71% | 8.7 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | — no data | 6.7 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | — no data | 14.7 | 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 Douglas County, chlamydia has fallen from 282 to 180.2 per 100,000 (36%), gonorrhea has fallen from 48.7 to 20 per 100,000 (59%), and P&S syphilis has held roughly steady from 2.5 to 2.5 per 100,000.
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 Douglas County.
Local HIV snapshot
Douglas County HIV care continuum (2022)
Douglas County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 6.7 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Douglas County residents living with HIV, 75% are in care · 58.3% 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 Douglas County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Forada sits far enough from the nearest clinic that getting tested means blocking out drive time, not just a lunch break. For young adults in their late teens and twenties (the years when new relationships, shifting living arrangements, and gaps in routine care all coincide) that kind of distance can quietly add up to a skipped appointment. What makes Forada's profile interesting is how settled it looks on paper: homeownership here is extraordinarily high, most households are married-couple arrangements, and unemployment is minimal. That stability can make it easy to assume everyone has a regular doctor and the schedule flexibility to see one.
But a workforce where nearly seven in ten residents are actively employed means weekday daytime appointments compete with real job commitments, and the drive to a clinic still has to happen regardless of how steady the paycheck is. Cost and coverage matter differently here depending on the household. Roughly three in ten households earn above the six-figure threshold, which eases out-of-pocket fees considerably, but the residents outside that bracket, in a county where rural distances already add indirect costs, are the ones for whom a low-fee or sliding-scale option among the listed clinics makes the most concrete difference.
Getting there
At 6.3/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Forada 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 56308 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 56308 area around Forada: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Forada alone.
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Forada? 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 Douglas County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Minnesota 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 Forada-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 Forada 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Minnesota 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 MinnesotaSource: 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.
The closest is Sanford Health Laboratories (6 mi); 5 options are within 30 miles.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Public clinics nearby offer free HIV testing.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 180 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Minnesota average.
In Minnesota, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Medical records are protected under federal HIPAA law, ask the clinic how it handles your information.
It means an infection was found; a provider confirms it and starts treatment, most STIs are curable or manageable.
Most STIs have no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know your status, get early treatment, and avoid passing one on.
A retest around 3 months after treatment is recommended for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.