In Galveston County, gonorrhea rates reported are about 40% lower than the US average. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Galveston County, Texas, there are convenient options. Some clinics accept walk-ins, while labs and at-home kits allow you to plan around your schedule.
Available testing centers
12 testing options are listed for Galveston, TX. The nearest, Galveston County Health District, is about 5.3 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.
Galveston County Health District tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C. All at no charge, no appointment required. Bacterial infections can be treated the same visit, and sliding-scale fees apply to any services that carry a cost, with walk-in access throughout.
HIV tests, hepatitis C tests, STI treatment, the mpox vaccine, and PrEP are each listed at no fee at Galveston County Health District. That structure means a patient managing multiple prevention needs (say, PrEP alongside hepatitis C monitoring) faces no cost barrier at any point in their care.
Galveston County Health District conducts services in Spanish and Tagalog, with broader interpretation available for other languages. For patients navigating a DoxyPEP regimen or PrEP adherence conversation, that means the clinical detail lands clearly, not filtered through approximation.
Prescribing DoxyPEP, the doxycycline-based post-exposure prevention for bacterial STIs, remains outside the scope of many STI clinics, which offer PrEP or PEP but leave the third leg of prevention unaddressed. Galveston County Health District carries all three, so prevention planning doesn't require sourcing care from multiple providers.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish, Tagalog
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston tests for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB, with free HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C tests available; the full slate runs on a sliding-scale fee, and appointments are required.
Delay a follow-up appointment because you can't absorb the cost, and a treatable infection becomes a managed condition. At The University of Texas Medical Branch, every service (testing, treatment, prevention) is provided at no fee, so cost never becomes the reason care stops.
Most clinics offer a single language line and leave it at that. The University of Texas Medical Branch conducts care directly in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, and Haitian Creole. Meaning the clinical conversation, not just intake paperwork, happens in the language a patient uses to think through their health.
Ryan White funding at The University of Texas Medical Branch structures a continuous HIV care pathway: antiretroviral therapy is prescribed and monitored on-site, medication adherence is supported through dedicated counseling, and patients move from a reactive rapid HIV test into ongoing HIV/AIDS medical treatment without changing providers.
Languages
American Sign Language, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Saint Hope Foundation in Dickinson runs every service (rapid and conventional HIV testing, hepatitis A/B/C, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and TB) by appointment, with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs, sliding-scale fees, and no charge for HIV, hepatitis C, or STI testing.
Saint Hope Foundation's free-services structure covers the full scope: HIV and hepatitis C tests, the standard bacterial panel, STI treatment, HPV and hepatitis A/B vaccines, and PrEP. All at no fee. Sliding-scale pricing applies to additional services, and Medicaid and Medicare are accepted, meaning cost is not a filter at any point in care.
Saint Hope Foundation delivers care in Spanish, which means HIV test counseling, medication adherence education, and PrEP consultations all proceed in Spanish without a handoff or delay. The clinical relationship itself carries the language.
For someone without a regular provider who needs ongoing HIV prevention, Saint Hope Foundation holds full prescribing capability for both PrEP and PEP in-house. No outside referral required to start or maintain either medication.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Bacliff Community Health Network, in Bacliff, earned its federal qualification by committing to serve patients regardless of their ability to pay: making it a practical answer for cash-paying residents, those between coverage, or anyone watching costs. Sliding-scale fees apply to STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with no appointment required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A public safety-net federally qualified health center about 20 miles from Galveston. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Obria Medical Clinics in League City tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C on a sliding-scale fee accepted alongside Medicaid and private insurance, with no appointment required and same-visit treatment for bacterial infections.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Community Health Network in Alvin tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C on a sliding scale that applies to everyone, with Medicaid and Medicare also accepted. Gonorrhea and chlamydia are treated the same visit; appointments are required. PrEP and PEP are prescribed on-site.
Community Health Network holds PrEP and PEP prescriptions in-house: meaning someone without a regular provider, or paying out of pocket without pharmacy middlemen, can walk out with an active prescription rather than a name to call. Both medications are managed by the clinic's own clinical staff.
Testing at Community Health Network covers hepatitis B and hepatitis C in addition to HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, which means a single appointment can surface a hepatitis diagnosis that might otherwise go undetected until symptoms appear.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
MyCHN Callaway, in Alvin, earns its federally qualified designation partly by tying fees to what patients actually earn. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-in STI screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with costs sliding to match each patient's income.
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 5 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Galveston, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Galveston 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.
1000 Mechanic St - Utmb Basic Science Building 4 300, Galveston, TX 77555
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1114 Mechanic Street, Room 2,214A, Galveston, TX 77550
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1501 Broadway, Galveston, TX 77550
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
815 Market Street, Galveston, TX 77550
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77555
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Galveston. 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, 365 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Galveston. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 116 offer telehealth.
April Mcdougal, DO
Infectious disease · 1005 Harborside Drive, Galveston
Eugene Harper, MD
Infectious disease · 1005 Harborside Dr Floor, Galveston
Steven Socher, MD
Urology · 1005 Harborside Dr Floor, Galveston
Sunil Kurup, MD
Family medicine · 2724 61st Street, Galveston
Bethany Powell, MD
Family medicine · 2027 61st Street, Galveston
Mary Wilkerson, MD
Internal medicine · 4700 Broadway Street, Galveston
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 Galveston, 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.
3.7 mi Randalls Pharmacy
4.0 mi
4.1 mi 
4.1 mi 
4.3 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Galveston, 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 Galveston, 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 Galveston County, the county that includes Galveston, compare with Texas 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.
#80 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 69% of the state
| Infection | Galveston County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 384.2 1,390 cases ▼ 22% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 107.3 388 cases ▼ 39% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 13.3 48 cases ▼ 11% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 22.9 83 cases ▼ 13% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 17.1 62 cases ▼ 61% | 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 Galveston County, chlamydia has fallen from 413.8 to 384.2 per 100,000 (7%), gonorrhea has fallen from 170.8 to 107.3 per 100,000 (37%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 6.8 to 13.3 per 100,000 (96%).
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 Galveston County.
Local HIV snapshot
Galveston County HIV care continuum (2023)
Galveston County recorded 17.5 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Galveston County residents living with HIV, 76% are in care · 61.1% 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 Galveston County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Seawall Boulevard runs the length of the island's Gulf-facing edge, and for residents trying to fit STI screening into an already compressed week, that geography matters more than it might first appear. Most people here rent rather than own, and with typical rents leaving limited room in a monthly budget, cost-accessible options listed on this page carry real weight for the large share of younger adults, people in their late teens and twenties, who make up a substantial slice of the population and whose years of forming new relationships overlap directly with the ages when STIs spread most readily. The household picture adds another layer.
With fewer than two in five adults married and a labor-force participation rate that leaves a meaningful portion of residents outside steady employment, the people who are working often do so in the hospitality and tourism economy that keeps Lafitte's Cove and the beaches along West Beach and Babe's Beach running year-round. Those schedules lean heavily on evenings and weekends, not the standard nine-to-five window when most clinics post their core hours. Several carry evening or weekend availability, which means someone finishing a shift along FM 3005 has a realistic path to being seen without trading a day's pay for the appointment.
Getting there
At 9.39/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Galveston 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 77550 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 77550 area around Galveston: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Galveston alone.
Galveston sits in Galveston County, ZIP 77550. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Galveston? 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 Galveston 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 Galveston-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 Galveston 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.
There are 12 options within a 30-mile drive.
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.
Galveston County reported ~384 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Texas average.
In Texas, 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.
Reputable kits use the same lab methods as clinics; any positive should be confirmed and treated by a provider.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
Usually urine or a swab for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and blood for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.