Gonorrhea cases in Catawba County are 19% lower than the US average. In Hickory, North Carolina, whether for a one-time concern or regular check-ups, you'll find some clinics taking walk-ins for same-day testing, while at-home kits and lab options let you plan around your own time. Find your best choice in the list below.
Available testing centers
12 testing options are listed for Hickory, NC. The nearest, Kintegra Behavioral Health - Hickory, is about 0.7 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.
Kintegra Behavioral Health – Hickory carries federal qualification that locks in sliding-scale fees tied to income, ensuring no one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with costs adjusted to what each patient can actually afford.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Kintegra at A Woman's View in Hickory extends federally qualified health center benefits to anyone paying out of pocket, between insurance plans, or working around a tight budget. Fees slide with income, covering screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. No appointment needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Kintegra at Catawba Women's Center in Hickory carries federal community health center standing, which translates directly into sliding-scale fees tied to income for STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) with no appointment required to walk in and get tested.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Alfa in Hickory runs rapid and conventional HIV testing alongside the full bacterial panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis) treating confirmed bacterial infections the same visit, with hepatitis C testing included, all on a no-fee basis and no appointment required.
Sliding-scale pricing still leaves a number on the table, Alfa doesn't. HIV testing, hepatitis C screening, the full bacterial panel, PrEP, PEP, DoxyPEP, hepatitis C treatment, harm reduction: every service carries a flat cost of nothing, full stop.
Many clinics can test you but struggle to counsel you in anything other than English. Alfa offers Spanish-language services directly and interpretation access for other languages: meaning the conversation around results, prevention, and next steps happens in the language that actually lands.
Alfa prescribes all three frontline HIV and bacterial STI prevention medications: daily PrEP for ongoing HIV risk reduction, PEP for post-exposure intervention, and DoxyPEP. The doxycycline-based protocol that cuts bacterial STI risk after potential exposure. Having all three available means prevention strategy can match individual circumstance.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Kintegra Health in Hickory runs on a sliding-scale fee structure open to everyone, with Medicaid and private insurance also accepted. Gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and HIV testing are available by appointment, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections.
Plenty of STI clinics cap their panel at gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV: herpes requires a separate referral, or doesn't come up at all. Kintegra Health includes herpes testing directly, so the picture of what's actually happening is complete from a single visit.
Kintegra Health prescribes both PrEP and PEP directly, meaning ongoing HIV prevention is managed as a continuous clinical relationship rather than a one-time event: refills, monitoring labs, and dosing questions all stay with the same care team.
Many clinics handle language gaps reactively: a speaker pulled in at the last moment, or not at all. Kintegra Health in Hickory offers Spanish-speaking care and interpretation services for other languages as part of standard practice, so the clinical conversation happens on the patient's terms from the start.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Catawba County Public Health in Hickory runs every service (HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia testing and treatment, PrEP, and vaccines) at no fee, with sliding-scale coverage and Medicaid and private insurance accepted; appointments are required, and all STI care is provided on-site.
For anyone managing care without a regular provider or paying out of pocket, the no-fee structure here covers the full scope: not just the test, but the treatment, the PrEP prescription, and the vaccines. Nothing is billed separately once you're in the door.
Spanish speakers who need more than a translated form (who need to ask follow-up questions, understand a prescription, or work through a PrEP conversation) get that directly from staff. The language carries through testing, treatment, and counseling without interruption.
Through Ryan White program support, Catawba County Public Health connects HIV-positive patients to antiretroviral prescriptions, ongoing viral load monitoring, and case management. Not a one-time referral but a funded care relationship that continues beyond the initial diagnosis.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Catawba Valley Infectious Disease Consultants in Conover runs by appointment, and a single scheduled visit can cover testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and TB: with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, PrEP, and sliding-scale fees accepted alongside insurance.
Catawba Valley Infectious Disease Consultants holds standing capacity to prescribe both PrEP and PEP, which means anyone without a primary care provider, or anyone whose current provider doesn't prescribe HIV prevention medications, has a direct path to both without an intermediate step.
Hepatitis C treatment is provided on-site at Catawba Valley Infectious Disease Consultants, meaning a confirmed diagnosis moves into an active treatment plan within the same practice. No separate specialist to locate or schedule.
The panel at Catawba Valley Infectious Disease Consultants includes herpes alongside HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. A fifth infection that standard four-test panels omit, giving one appointment a broader diagnostic picture.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Eastern Burke HCCH, in Connelly Springs, earned its federal qualification by tying fees to income: meaning STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is priced on a sliding scale so cost adjusts to what each patient actually earns. No appointment is needed to walk in.
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 less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Hickory, 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 Catawba 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.
810 Fairgrove Church Road, Hickory, NC 28602
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
420 North Center Street - Poc, Hickory, NC 28601
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
420 North Center Street, Hickory, NC 28601
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
1899 Tate Boulevard Southeast, Suite 1105, Hickory, NC 28602
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
2406 Century Place Southeast, Hickory, NC 28602
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Hickory. 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, 384 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Hickory. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 115 offer telehealth.
Molly Setzer
OB-GYN · 3070 11th Ave Drive Southeast, Hickory
Billy Price, MD
Internal medicine · 3070 11th Ave Drive Southeast, Hickory
David Weisgerber, MD
Internal medicine · 307 10th Avenue Northeast, Hickory
Charles Graham, DO
Internal medicine · 955 2nd Street Northeast, Hickory
Kirsten Schutte, MD
Infectious disease · 56 12th Avenue Northeast, Hickory
Arjun Ohri, MD
Internal medicine · 52 12th Avenue Northeast, Hickory
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 Hickory, NC 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.
0.9 mi 
1.0 mi Hickory Family Pharmacy
1.0 miCatawba Valley Community Pharmacy
1.0 miChangmay Holdings
1.0 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Hickory, NC.
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 Hickory, 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 Catawba County, the county that includes Hickory, compare with North Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~30% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#64 of 100 North Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 36% of the state
| Infection | Catawba County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 331.6 546 cases ▼ 45% | 607.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 145.2 239 cases ▼ 40% | 243.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 12.1 20 cases ▼ 39% | 19.9 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 8.5 14 cases ▼ 46% | 15.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 18.2 30 cases ▼ 24% | 24 | 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 Catawba County, chlamydia has fallen from 448.3 to 331.6 per 100,000 (26%), gonorrhea has risen from 137.6 to 145.2 per 100,000 (6%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 11.8 to 12.1 per 100,000 (3%).
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 Catawba County.
Local HIV snapshot
Catawba County HIV care continuum (2023)
Catawba County recorded 11.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 15.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Catawba County residents living with HIV, 90.5% are in care · 83.8% 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 Catawba County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Sweetwater stays busy on weekdays, the kind of neighborhood where households averaging more than three people share schedules that rarely line up neatly, and a mid-morning appointment can feel like a negotiation. That texture matters when thinking about STI screening, because Hickory's younger adults, people in their late teens and twenties building jobs and relationships, are precisely the group for whom a test that requires rearranging childcare or borrowing a car tends not to happen. The city's economic picture adds real texture here. With nearly half of residents renting, typical monthly rent sitting well under a thousand dollars, and fewer than one in five households clearing six figures, out-of-pocket health costs get weighed carefully.
An unemployment rate that has climbed noticeably above the national average means some residents are also between coverage, which raises the stakes on knowing which listed options offer sliding-scale or low-cost fees before making the trip. Getting to a clinic in and around Hickory generally means a drive, whether you're heading out from North Hickory along NC 127 or cutting across Tate Boulevard Southeast from the eastern side of town. Stanford Park is a useful landmark for orienting yourself before that drive; from there, pulling up the nearest clinic's hours and confirming its fee structure is the single most concrete step forward.
Getting there
At 7.38/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Hickory 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 28601 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 28601 area around Hickory: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Hickory alone.
Hickory sits in Catawba County, ZIP 28601. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Hickory? 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 Catawba County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under North Carolina 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 Hickory-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 Hickory 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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
North Carolina 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 North CarolinaSource: 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.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it, and public clinics are free either way.
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.
Catawba County reported ~332 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the North Carolina average.
In North Carolina, 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.
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.
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.