New HIV diagnoses in Darlington County run about 53% higher than the US average. If you live in Howards Crossroads, South Carolina, whether you have symptoms or want peace of mind, you can choose between community and public clinics or private labs. Community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Howards Crossroads, SC. The nearest, HopeHealth Bethea, is about 4.5 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.
HopeHealth Bethea in Darlington earns its federally qualified designation by anchoring care for people paying cash, between providers, or stretching a tight budget. Sliding-scale fees adjust to income, and STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is available without an appointment.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
South Carolina Department of Public Health in Darlington tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis C: all on a sliding scale that runs to zero, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and appointments required to be seen.
When cost is a variable, people defer. The test, the follow-up, the prescription. At South Carolina Department of Public Health in Darlington, no service carries a fee: testing, treatment, prevention, vaccines. The bill is the same regardless of what you came in for.
The clinic prescribes and monitors PrEP for ongoing HIV prevention, PEP when exposure has occurred, and DoxyPEP, doxycycline taken after sex to reduce bacterial STI risk, each requiring its own dosing schedule and follow-up, all handled directly by staff in Darlington.
Many clinics limit their panel to gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Leaving herpes and hepatitis C for a separate referral. South Carolina Department of Public Health in Darlington tests for both on-site, so exposure to either doesn't require tracking down a second appointment.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Genesis Health Care in Darlington schedules appointments rather than operating on a walk-in basis, so visits are planned, and within that single appointment, testing for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis pairs with TB screening, counseling, and same-visit bacterial treatment on a sliding-scale fee.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
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 Howards Crossroads, 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 value: single tests
$49 & up
Best for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Darlington 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.
206 Swift Creek Road, Hartsville, SC 29550
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
708 Medical Park Drive, Hartsville, SC 29550
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 2 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Howards Crossroads. 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, 249 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Howards Crossroads. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 19 offer telehealth.
Luz Mendez, MD
Family medicine · 2210 Enterprise Drive, Florence
Isabel Mendoza, MD
Family medicine · 201 Cashua Street, Darlington
Elizabeth Dickinson, MD
Family medicine · 964 Lochend Drive, Darlington
Roberto Miranda, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 301 Pearl Street, Darlington
Akinwale Olatosi, MD
Internal medicine · 360 North Irby Street, Florence
Eric Hart, DO
Family medicine · 144 North Ravenel Street, Florence
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 Howards Crossroads, SC 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.
K J Pharmacy,
4.8 miKJ's Pharmacy
4.8 mi
4.8 mi 
5.0 mi Darlington Family Pharmacy
5.5 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Howards Crossroads, SC.
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 Howards Crossroads, 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
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
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 Darlington County, the county that includes Howards Crossroads, compare with South Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~27% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#12 of 46 South Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 74% of the state
| Infection | Darlington County | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 906.8 566 cases ▲ 48% | 612.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 366.9 229 cases ▲ 65% | 222.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 22.4 14 cases ▲ 29% | 17.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 30.4 19 cases ▲ 62% | 18.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 4.8 3 cases ▼ 59% | 11.7 | 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 Darlington County, chlamydia has fallen from 1046 to 906.8 per 100,000 (13%), gonorrhea has fallen from 554.8 to 366.9 per 100,000 (34%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 19.1 to 22.4 per 100,000 (17%).
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 Darlington County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: South Carolina 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.
Darlington County HIV care continuum (2023)
Darlington County recorded 20.9 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 18.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Darlington County residents living with HIV, 87% are in care · 76.4% 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 Darlington County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
The season shifts visibly here: Brooks-McCall Park fills or empties with the light, and the rhythm of Howards Crossroads follows. That same rhythm, steady and predictable, is when testing fits naturally into the pattern of health maintenance. Young adults in the area, whether newly settled or long-rooted, often discover that screening for sexually transmitted infections belongs in the same mental category as an annual checkup: routine, straightforward, something you arrange without fanfare. The community's character leans toward privacy and self-direction, which aligns well with how testing clinics in and around Howards Crossroads operate: discreet, efficient, and built around your schedule rather than theirs.
Results here stay confidential by law and by practice. Many residents live independently or in households where medical choices remain their own, and testing sites reflect that expectation. You can walk in, get answers, and leave without explanation owed to anyone. That simplicity matters when you're between jobs, in a new relationship, or simply being responsible about your sexual health.
The clinics and providers listed on this page understand the local context: people here value directness and respect boundaries. Whether you're managing an ongoing concern or checking in after a new partner, the testing available in and around Howards Crossroads meets you without judgment or delay.
Getting there
At 7.41/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Howards Crossroads 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 29532 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 29532 area around Howards Crossroads: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Howards Crossroads alone.
Howards Crossroads sits in Darlington County, ZIP 29532. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Howards Crossroads? 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 Darlington County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under South 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 Howards Crossroads-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 Howards Crossroads 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 South 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 South Carolina, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
South 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 South 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.
The closest is HopeHealth Bethea (4.5 mi); 4 options are within 30 miles.
Public clinics are free; private labs ~$24–$139, at-home kits $49+.
Yes, community and public clinics test the uninsured, with sliding-scale fees.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 907 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the South Carolina average.
In South Carolina, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
Public health clinics, family-planning clinics, and many school or campus health centers test teens and young adults, often free.
That's a myth; STIs need sexual contact to spread, not surfaces.
Community health centers and family-planning clinics serve all patients, and many offer LGBTQ-affirming care, ask the site directly.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.