In Blount County, Alabama, chlamydia reports run about 28% lower than the national average. If you've had a recent risk or test regularly, Highland Lake, Alabama offers both walk-in clinics for same-day tests and labs or at-home kits for flexible scheduling.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Highland Lake, AL. The nearest, St. Vincent's Blount, is about 5.1 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.
A safety-net rural health clinic about 5 miles from Highland Lake. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 5 miles from Highland Lake. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 5 miles from Highland Lake. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
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 Highland Lake, 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 Blount 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.
150 Gilbreath Drive, Oneonta, AL 35121
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
150 Gilbreath Drive Suite 201, Oneonta, AL 35121
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Highland Lake. 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, 262 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Highland Lake. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 24 offer telehealth.
Zakir Khan, MD
Internal medicine · 101 Lemley Drive, Oneonta
Imani Mccarter
Family medicine · 150 Gilbreath Drive, Oneonta
Tian Xia
Family medicine · 150 Gilbreath Drive, Oneonta
Ferdinand Osuji, MD
Internal medicine · 150 Gilbreath Drive, Oneonta
Michele Jordan, MD
Family medicine · 40 Purple Heart Boulevard, Springville
Angela Clifton, MD
Family medicine · 42598 State Hwy 75, Snead
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 Highland Lake, AL 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.
Payless Drugs
3.6 miMiller Drug
4.9 mi
5.0 mi J&M Pharmacy and Compounding Center
5.0 mi
6.0 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Highland Lake, AL.
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 Highland Lake, 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.
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
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
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 Blount County, the county that includes Highland Lake, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~11% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#52 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 22% of the state
| Infection | Blount County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 352.7 211 cases ▼ 46% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 76.9 46 cases ▼ 66% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 1.7 1 cases ▼ 94% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 5 3 cases ▼ 75% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 8.4 5 cases ▼ 66% | 24.5 | 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 Blount County, chlamydia has risen from 284.1 to 352.7 per 100,000 (24%), gonorrhea has fallen from 157.3 to 76.9 per 100,000 (51%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 3.4 to 1.7 per 100,000 (50%).
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 Blount County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Alabama is one of the U.S. jurisdictions prioritized under the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative: targeted federal funding to expand local HIV testing, PrEP, and prevention.
Blount County HIV care continuum (2022)
Blount County recorded 16 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Blount County residents living with HIV, 72.9% are in care · 52.1% 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 Blount County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Jones Chapel Road runs through a Highland Lake where most residents have already planted roots, owned homes, established households, the kind of stability that shapes a community's daily rhythm. For the younger adults here, still navigating early relationships and shifting health needs, that settled backdrop can make routine STI screening feel like someone else's concern, something for a different season of life. Yet the town's low unemployment and strong homeownership figures don't change the basic biology of the under-35 years, when STIs circulate most actively and often without symptoms.
A relatively small renter population, paying around current market rates, and a labor-force participation rate that leaves a notable share of residents outside traditional nine-to-five structures both shape when and whether someone can realistically carve out time for a clinic visit. Larger households and a high share of married couples create a community culture oriented around family logistics, which can mean personal health appointments get quietly traded away for school pickups and work schedules. The options listed on this page all require a deliberate drive, so knowing in advance which ones offer extended hours or same-day slots near the Sibley Memorial Bridge corridor is what separates a test that gets scheduled from one that stays a thought.
Getting there
At 4.45/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Highland Lake 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 35121 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 35121 area around Highland Lake: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Highland Lake alone.
Highland Lake sits in Blount County, ZIP 35121. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Highland Lake? 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 Blount County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Alabama 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 Highland Lake-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 Highland Lake 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 Alabama 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 Alabama, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Alabama 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 AlabamaSource: 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 7 options within a 30-mile drive.
Private labs run about $24 for one test and $139 for a full panel; at-home kits are $49+.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Blount County reported ~353 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Alabama average.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
Go to an ER or call RAINN (800-656-4673); they provide testing, PEP, and support right away.
Chlamydia and gonorrhea show up about 1–2 weeks after exposure, syphilis 3–6 weeks, and HIV 2–6 weeks depending on the test.
Usually urine or a swab for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and blood for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis.
Herpes isn't in standard panels unless you have symptoms, a sore can be swabbed, or a blood test discussed with a provider.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.