In McLennan County, reported chlamydia runs about 30% higher than the US average. If you're in Gholson, Texas and are considering STI testing before starting a new relationship, or as part of ongoing care, you can choose between visiting a clinic for immediate support and starting treatment, or using an at-home kit for convenience. Keep reading to learn about these options.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Gholson, TX. The nearest, Integrity Urgent Care, is about 5.7 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.
Integrity Urgent Care in Waco tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, with fees billed to Medicare or private insurance; an appointment is required, and bacterial STIs are treated the same visit, with care available in Spanish.
For someone without a regular primary-care provider who needs to navigate treatment decisions, not just a diagnosis, having the entire clinical conversation happen in Spanish changes what's actually possible. At Integrity Urgent Care, Spanish-language care covers consultation, diagnosis, and same-visit bacterial treatment, so nothing gets lost between question and answer.
Without a regular provider ordering labs, getting tested for herpes or hepatitis B and C alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV typically means coordinating multiple appointments. Integrity Urgent Care runs all seven in a single visit, the right fit for anyone who wants a complete picture without stitching together separate referrals.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Waco Family Medicine tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV on a sliding scale accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. STI and TB treatment are handled on-site, and appointments are required to be seen.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Waco Family Medicine – MacArthur, in Waco, earned federal qualification as a community health center, which means its STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is available on a sliding-scale fee tied to income, so cost adjusts to what each patient can actually pay.
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 6 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Gholson, 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 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 McLennan 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.
556 North Loop 340, Waco, TX 76705
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
974 North Loop 340, Bellmead, TX 76705
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
2201 Macarthur Dr Suite 30, Waco, TX 76708
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Gholson. 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, 233 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Gholson. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 51 offer telehealth.
Mark Dickie, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 782 Dry Creek Road, Waco
Matt Muramoto, DO
Family medicine · 10207 China Spring Road, Waco
Stephen Mccall, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 9821 China Spring Road, Waco
Colin Bailey, MD
Family medicine · 2100 Lake Shore Drive, Waco
Roshan Patel, MD
Family medicine · 2100 Lake Shore Drive, Waco
Liza Banaag, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1400 Lake Shore Drive, Waco
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 Gholson, 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.
Pill Box Pharmacy
5.7 miPharmacy Plus # 10
5.7 mi
9.9 mi Generation RX
11 miWest Old Corner Drug
11 mi
11 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Gholson, 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 Gholson, 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
$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 $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
How reported STI rates in McLennan County, the county that includes Gholson, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~23% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#14 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 94% of the state
| Infection | McLennan County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 637.4 1,712 cases ▲ 30% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 202.5 544 cases ▲ 15% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 14.5 39 cases ▼ 3% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 18.2 49 cases ▼ 31% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 24.2 65 cases ▼ 45% | 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 McLennan County, chlamydia has fallen from 779.8 to 637.4 per 100,000 (18%), gonorrhea has fallen from 402.2 to 202.5 per 100,000 (50%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 11.5 to 14.5 per 100,000 (26%).
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 McLennan County.
Local HIV snapshot
McLennan County HIV care continuum (2023)
McLennan County recorded 18.8 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among McLennan County residents living with HIV, 79.5% are in care · 69.8% 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 McLennan County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Gholson sits far enough from the nearest clinic that getting tested means planning a real drive, this isn't a town where you duck out at lunch and walk back. That distance lands differently depending on your week: with nearly two-thirds of adults in the labor force and unemployment running higher than the state typically sees, schedules here are neither predictable nor padded with free afternoons. The ownership culture reinforces the town's settled character: more than four in five households own their homes, and the majority of adults are married, living in multigenerational or family-sized households. That stability shapes the community's rhythms, but it doesn't make reproductive health any less relevant. Young adults still forming relationships, people in their late teens and twenties, represent a real slice of Gholson's population, and they're the years when STI transmission moves fastest and symptoms are most easily missed or misread.
A modest typical rent keeps housing costs grounded, but with wages spread unevenly and roughly one in five households crossing the higher-income threshold, cost and time both factor into whether a clinic visit happens at all. The options listed on this page require leaving Gholson entirely, so the drive is the plan. McLennan County's STI figures reflect patterns common across rural Texas, where screening gaps compound over time. For someone living here, staying current means the county's numbers don't quietly include them.
Getting there
At 6.17/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Gholson 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 76705 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 76705 area around Gholson: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Gholson alone.
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Gholson? 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 McLennan 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 Gholson-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 Gholson 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.
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+.
Public health clinics nearby provide free testing.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
McLennan County reported ~637 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Texas average.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Herpes isn't curable, but daily or as-needed antiviral medicine controls outbreaks and lowers the chance of passing it on.
It can: too soon and a real infection may not show yet. Retest after the window to be sure.
Go to an ER or call RAINN (800-656-4673); they provide testing, PEP, and support right away.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.