New HIV diagnoses in Bedford County run about 48% lower than the US average. If you're in Forest, Virginia, and thinking about testing before starting a new relationship or as part of ongoing care, your options include community and public clinics, which can be low-cost or free, and private labs, which may offer faster results and more flexible scheduling.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Forest, VA. The nearest, Blue Ridge Scientific Transport, is about 3.7 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.
Johnson Health Center in Lynchburg accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance, with a sliding scale for those who need it and donations welcomed: covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, rapid and conventional HIV testing alongside STI treatment and HPV and hepatitis A and B vaccines. Appointments are required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jun 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Virginia Department of Health in Lynchburg pairs rapid and conventional HIV testing with same-visit treatment for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Herpes testing included. The full panel runs on a sliding-scale fee, and appointments are required. All services are provided at no cost.
Sliding-scale fees still leave a balance for plenty of people. Virginia Department of Health in Lynchburg charges nothing, not for the panel, not for the vaccines, not for STI treatment. The fee line on every service reads zero.
Without interpretation at the point of care, a nuanced conversation about exposure, symptoms, or treatment compliance gets lost, and untreated infections follow. Virginia Department of Health in Lynchburg has interpretation services on-site, so that clinical exchange happens fully and accurately, not in fragments.
Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis, a single 200 mg dose taken within 72 hours of sexual exposure to reduce bacterial STI risk, is available directly at Virginia Department of Health in Lynchburg. Having DoxyPEP prescribed and dispensed at the same clinic that runs your panel closes the window between testing and prevention.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Park View in Lynchburg earns its federally qualified health center designation by tying STI screening fees directly to each patient's income. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, with sliding-scale rates ensuring cost stays proportional to what someone actually earns.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Community Access Network in Lynchburg charges on a fee basis and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, covering a full panel (HIV (rapid and conventional), syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB) with STI treatment and appointments required.
When language breaks down mid-appointment, the real casualty is follow-through. Missed instructions, delayed treatment, conditions that compound. Community Access Network provides care in Spanish and through interpretation services for other languages, so the clinical conversation and the treatment plan both land clearly the first time.
Community Access Network prescribes both PrEP and PEP on-site, which means ongoing HIV prevention, and time-sensitive post-exposure medication, doesn't require a separate provider relationship or a second appointment elsewhere.
Getting a hepatitis C diagnosis and then being sent elsewhere to treat it is the default at many testing sites. Community Access Network carries hepatitis C treatment on-site, so a positive result moves directly into a care plan without a gap between knowing and addressing it.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
5th Street Community Health Center in Lynchburg meets patients where they are (uninsured, between providers, or paying out of pocket) through federally backed sliding-scale fees tied to income. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening without the barrier of an appointment.
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 4 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to 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 Bedford 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.
16890 Forest Road, Forest, VA 24551
CMS-certified lab
70 Westwind Road, Moneta, VA 24121
CMS-certified lab
4830 Rucker Road, Moneta, VA 24121
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near 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, 171 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Forest. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 57 offer telehealth.
Aaron Poch, DO
Family medicine · 1175 Corporate Park Drive, Forest
Kari Adams, MD
Family medicine · 16890 Forest Road, Forest
David Smith, MD
Family medicine · 2103 Graves Mill Road, Forest
Kristi Kidd, MD
OB-GYN · 2007 Graves Mill Road, Forest
Craig Petry, MD
Family medicine · 102 Archway Court, Lynchburg
Satnam Aujla, MD
Family medicine · 21054 A Timberlake Road, Lynchburg
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 Forest, VA 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.
0.8 mi Forest Pharmacy
0.9 mi
1.0 mi 
1.2 mi 
1.7 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Forest, VA.
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 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 $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or 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 $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 Bedford County, the county that includes Forest, compare with Virginia and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~27% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#117 of 133 Virginia counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 12% of the state
| Infection | Bedford County | Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 161.9 132 cases ▼ 66% | 472.8 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 47.8 39 cases ▼ 70% | 158.3 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 2.5 2 cases ▼ 77% | 10.7 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 7.4 6 cases ▼ 22% | 9.5 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 1.2 1 cases ▼ 92% | 15.8 | 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 Bedford County, chlamydia has fallen from 246.7 to 161.9 per 100,000 (34%), gonorrhea has fallen from 81.8 to 47.8 per 100,000 (42%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 1.2 to 2.5 per 100,000 (108%).
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 Bedford County.
Local HIV snapshot
Bedford County HIV care continuum (2022)
Bedford County recorded 7.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Bedford County residents living with HIV, 91.7% are in care · 83.3% 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 Bedford County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Rolling Hill's morning pace tells you something about Forest: most residents here own their homes, many have lived on the same street long enough to know their neighbors by name, and the majority of households are married couples sharing a roof and a routine. That kind of settled stability shapes how people think about health appointments, often treating them as something to schedule around work, school pickup, and weekend plans rather than as urgent stops.
The employment picture here is solid, with most working-age adults in the labor force and very few out of work, which means weekday clinic hours can still be a real constraint for people juggling jobs and family schedules. Younger adults in their late teens and twenties, who face the steepest STI risk statistically, are the group most likely to be renting in Forest Lakes or Meadow Wood, navigating tighter budgets and less schedule flexibility than their homeowning neighbors. A median rent under a thousand dollars a month keeps housing manageable, but that same budget consciousness makes fee structures and insurance coverage real factors in whether someone books a test or postpones it.
US 221 is the practical spine connecting Forest to nearly every option listed on this page, so knowing which clinics along that corridor accept walk-ins or offer extended hours is the detail that actually moves a screening from intention to appointment at Peaks View Park on a lunch break.
Getting there
At 8.72/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in 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 24551 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 24551 area around Forest: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Forest alone.
Forest sits in Bedford County, ZIP 24551. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside 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 Bedford County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under 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 a 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 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 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 Virginia, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
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 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.
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+.
Yes, free HIV testing is available at public clinics in the area.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Bedford County reported ~162 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Virginia average.
In Virginia, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
Your results are part of your HIPAA-protected medical record; you can ask any clinic about its own privacy practices.
A positive means treatment is the next step; many STIs are cured with antibiotics, and all are treatable.
A blood draw screens for syphilis, with a confirmatory test if it's reactive.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.