STD Testing in Gates, TN: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
Lauderdale County reports about 16 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents. If you live in Gates, Tennessee, and need to get tested for a one-time concern or regular check-ups, weigh your options: public clinics keep costs down, private labs prioritize speed, and at-home kits trade a clinic visit for convenience. Compare them below.
6 testing options are listed for Gates, TN. The nearest, Citizens of Lake County Health Care, is about 9.1 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
How to read these listings
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.
Location unavailable — enter a ZIP code or city instead.
Community health center 9.1 miles
Citizens of Lake County Health Care
4.0(5)?Where these reviews come from
Review sources
Google4
EasySTD1
Rated 4 out of 5 from 5 reviews
Citizens of Lake County Health Care in Ripley covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, bacterial infections treated the same visit, with fees on a sliding scale and no appointment needed.
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Highest rated 10.3 miles
Tennessee Department of Health
4.6(21)?Where these reviews come from
Review sources
Google18
EasySTD3
Rated 4.6 out of 5 from 21 reviews
Tennessee Department of Health in Ripley operates through the county public health infrastructure, folding gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing into a system already built for community-wide disease management: with sliding-scale fees, same-visit bacterial treatment, and appointments required. All services are provided at no fee.
Read full overviewShow less
Every Service Carries a Zero Balance
Every test, treatment, and preventive service at this clinic comes at no charge. That zero cost applies across the board, meaning a patient weighing whether to return for follow-up treatment or a second round of testing never has a financial reason to skip it.
Spanish-Language Care Is Directly Staffed
Spanish-language services at this clinic are delivered through staff capacity, not routed through an outside line. Counseling, test results, and STI education are conducted directly in Spanish, which means clinical conversations, including HIV test counseling and partner notification, move at the same pace as any other visit.
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.
The nearest testing center is about 9 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Gates, 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
Panel:
8-infection panel incl. chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis & herpes: single tests too
Sample:
Quest Mobile: a phlebotomist collects your sample at home
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
Other CLIA-certified labs near Gates, TN
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Lauderdale 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.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Gates. 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
Clinicians near Gates, TN who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 84 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Gates. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 14 offer telehealth.
WM
William Mckee, MD
Internal medicine · 320 South Church Street, Halls
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
Pharmacies near Gates, TN
No pharmacy near Gates, TN 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.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
PrEP, prevention & online treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Gates, 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.
Online treatment
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or 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
STDs & HIV in Lauderdale County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Lauderdale County, the county that includes Gates, compare with Tennessee and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~33% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#4
#4 of 95 Tennessee counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 96% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Lauderdale County vs Tennessee vs U.S.
Lauderdale CountyTennesseeU.S.▲▼ = Lauderdale County vs the state average
Infection
Lauderdale County
Tennessee
United States
Chlamydia
902.1222 cases▲ 74%
517.4
492.2
Gonorrhea
247.961 cases▲ 33%
186.4
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
16.34 cases▲ 10%
14.8
15.8
Syphilis (early)
8.12 cases▼ 30%
11.5
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
32.58 cases▲ 23%
26.4
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.
Reported STD rates in Lauderdale County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▲ 8% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Lauderdale County, chlamydia has fallen from 938.6 to 902.1 per 100,000 (4%), gonorrhea has fallen from 684.1 to 247.9 per 100,000 (64%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 8 to 16.3 per 100,000 (104%).
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
What shapes testing access in and around Gates, TN
Adults uninsured
13.2%
No routine checkup
21.1%
Binge drinking
13%
Frequent mental distress
21%
Depression
29.1%
Below poverty line
31.1%
Primary-care ratio
6,277 : 1
Lauderdale County
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 58
Social Vulnerability Index · 92nd percentile nationally
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 Lauderdale County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Lauderdale County (2023)
People living with HIV
293 / 100k
New diagnoses (2023)
0cases countywide
PrEP users / 100k
111
Lauderdale County HIV care continuum (2023)
Lauderdale County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Lauderdale County residents living with HIV, 88.5% are in care · 80.3% 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.
Pregnant or planning to be?
Congenital syphilis is the fastest-rising STI: what to test, and when
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 Lauderdale County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines → (opens in a new tab)
Highway 87 cuts through Gates without much fanfare, and the nearest clinic on this page means getting in the car and committing to a real drive, so when and how you go tends to matter more than the impulse to go. That practical reality lands differently here given the economic texture of the town. Rents hover well below the state median, which helps with basics, yet with fewer than one in seventeen households clearing six figures and unemployment sitting noticeably above national norms, an unexpected fee or a missed half-shift for an appointment can genuinely tip the calculation. Homeownership is split almost evenly, meaning a substantial share of residents are working within the constraints of a monthly rent obligation, and households here run larger than average, so one adult's schedule often bends around several other people's needs.
Against that backdrop, the sizable portion of residents in their late teens and twenties matters. Those years carry the steepest risk for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, and Lauderdale County's STI counts confirm the pattern holds locally. With Cinchfield Park anchoring community life and households averaging more than three people, younger adults here are often embedded in family structures where a straightforward, low-cost option nearby keeps routine screening from becoming a project that waits.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Gates, TN
Walkability3.02 / 20 · Least walkable
At 3.02/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Gates 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 38037 snapshot
Residents
1,556
Median age
41.1
Median income
$45,948
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 38037 area around Gates: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Gates alone.
Gates sits in Lauderdale County, ZIP 38037. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Cinchfield Park
LTV A-7 Corsair II
The Veterans' Museum
CH-46 US Sea Knight
Lauderdale County Fairgrounds
Nearby cities & towns
Nearby cities and towns near Gates, TN
Just outside Gates? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Gates, TN: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Lauderdale County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Tennessee law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Who should test, and when
CDC screening schedule + each infection's detection window
Who should get tested, and how often
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
When to test: STD detection windows
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Gates-area provider.
Medicare reference prices per lab test, a benchmark before you pay out of pocket
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Gates 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.
Confidentiality & consent in Tennessee
Minor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on Tennessee 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).
Can a minor consent on their own?
In Tennessee, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Can my partner be treated too? (EPT)
Tennessee 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.
