Chlamydia cases in Washington County run about 26% higher than the US average. When starting a new relationship or maintaining regular sexual health care in Hobson, Alabama, you'll find public clinics that keep costs down, private labs that prioritize speed, and at-home kits that trade a clinic visit for convenience. See your options below.
Available testing centers
5 testing options are listed for Hobson, AL. The nearest, Chatom Primary Care, is about 5.2 miles away. Compare 1 community and public clinic, 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.
Review sources
Chatom Primary Care, in Chatom, pairs testing with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia, so a single appointment handles both diagnosis and prescription. HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis screening round out the panel, all on a sliding-scale fee.
Tests offered
Review sources
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Review sources
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Review sources
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Review sources
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
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 |
|---|
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. Widen the distance or clear the service-type filter.
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 Hobson, 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 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 Washington 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.
14600 St Stephens Avenue, Chatom, AL 36518
CMS-certified lab
7777 Highway 43 North, Mcintosh, AL 36553
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Hobson. 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, 17 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Hobson. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 1 offer telehealth.
Sawyer Donald, DO
Family medicine · 14634 Saint Stephens Avenue, Chatom
Salah Al-Abbadi, MD
Family medicine · 14600 Saint Stephens Avenue, Chatom
Steven Furr, MD
Family medicine · 227 Hospital Drive, Jackson
Norman Stevens, MD
Family medicine · 220 Hospital Drive, Jackson
Thomas Broughton, MD
Family medicine · 297 South Jackson Street, Grove Hill
Corey Brown, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 295 South Jackson Street, Grove Hill
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
Compare the pharmacies closest to Hobson, AL. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
B and F Drugs
6.2 miMillry Drugs
14 mi
15 mi Mac's Drugs
15 mi
16 mi McIntosh Drugs
17 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Hobson, 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 Hobson, 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.
PrEP & DoxyPEP
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Online treatment
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or to your pharmacy
Online treatment
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
PrEP & DoxyPEP
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 Washington County, the county that includes Hobson, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~39% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#29 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 57% of the state
| Infection | Washington County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 619.1 93 cases ▼ 5% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 286.2 43 cases ▲ 26% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 6.7 1 cases ▼ 77% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 6.7 1 cases ▼ 67% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 13.3 2 cases ▼ 46% | 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 Washington County, chlamydia has risen from 474.4 to 619.1 per 100,000 (31%), gonorrhea has risen from 221 to 286.2 per 100,000 (30%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 13.2 to 6.7 per 100,000 (49%).
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
Primary-care shortage score 16 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 32.3
Social Vulnerability Index · 32nd 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 Washington 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.
Washington County HIV care continuum (2023)
Washington County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Washington County residents living with HIV, 70% are in care · 60% 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 Washington County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Editorially Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
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 →
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Washington County's stretch of highway through Hobson connects a community where nearly half of all households have cleared the six-figure income threshold: a level of financial stability that, for most residents, means cost alone rarely stands between someone and a clinic visit. That's genuinely good news when you factor in how deeply rooted people are here: the overwhelming majority own their homes, often for the long haul, which tends to mean stable addresses, established routines, and real familiarity with local providers. What shapes access more than cost is geography. Hobson is not a place you walk to anything: every errand, appointment, and screening requires a car and a committed window of time.
Nearly half the adult population isn't in the labor force at all, and those who are working tend to keep full schedules; carving out a weekday morning isn't always straightforward. That scheduling reality matters most for younger adults in their late teens and twenties, who are statistically the likeliest to need STI screening and the least likely to prioritize it over competing demands. The testing options listed on this page exist precisely to widen that window, different hours, different fee structures, spread across a region where distance is just part of how life works. Knowing which clinic is closest before you're already in the car makes the difference in Washington County.
Getting there
At 5.28/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Hobson 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 36518 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 36518 area around Hobson: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Hobson alone.
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Hobson? 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 Washington 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 Hobson-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 Hobson 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.
Yes, several local labs offer same-day walk-in testing; best to call first.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Washington County reported ~619 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.
Little prep is needed, bring an ID and insurance if you have it, and note your exposure dates and any symptoms; for a urine test, avoid peeing for about an hour beforehand.
Telling recent partners lets them test and treat; many health departments offer confidential partner-notification help.
Pregnancy screening is standard; ask about an early-pregnancy STI panel.
Clinics give immediate care and treatment; home kits win on convenience and discretion. Either works.
It checks for the p24 antigen plus antibodies, detecting HIV a week or two sooner than older tests.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.