HIV diagnoses in Tompkins County are about 46% lower than the US average. If you're in Ithaca, New York whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, clinics may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while many private labs charge a flat self-pay price. We list both options below.
Available testing centers
11 testing options are listed for Ithaca, NY. The nearest, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, is about 0.4 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.
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York in Ithaca tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, on a sliding-scale fee structure open to everyone. Appointments are required.
Spanish is spoken directly at this Ithaca location, and interpretation is available for other languages, which means symptom descriptions, treatment instructions, and medication counseling land accurately rather than getting compressed into a simpler exchange.
As a Title X-funded site, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York in Ithaca is legally required to keep reproductive and STI services for minors confidential. A protection built into the funding structure itself, not a discretionary clinic policy. That means billing, records, and communications are handled under those statutory obligations.
Clinics that prescribe PrEP for HIV prevention rarely extend that same infrastructure to DoxyPEP, the antibiotic regimen that reduces bacterial STI risk after exposure. Planned Parenthood of Greater New York in Ithaca prescribes all three (PrEP, PEP, and DoxyPEP) making it one of the few sites where the full current prevention toolkit is actually available.
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 + HRSA
Cayuga Center for Infectious Diseases in Ithaca tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs, on a fee-based sliding scale accepted by Medicare and most insurers. Appointments are required.
Cayuga Center prescribes and monitors direct-acting antiviral regimens for hepatitis C in-house, meaning the clinician who orders your RNA confirmation is the same one managing your treatment course and tracking viral response over time.
Many infectious-disease clinics diagnose and treat but leave HIV prevention prescribing to primary care. Cayuga Center writes and manages both PrEP and PEP directly, keeping prevention and treatment in the same clinical relationship.
Interpretation services are available for non-English languages at Cayuga Center in Ithaca, which means exposure histories, medication instructions, and test results reach patients with the precision that clinical decisions depend on.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Family Health Network of Central New York in Cortland runs on scheduled appointments, so arriving with a confirmed slot means the visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, TB, and HIV, bacterial infections treated same day, on a sliding-scale fee accepted by all.
Plenty of clinics leave non-English speakers to navigate sensitive health conversations through whatever they can manage on their own. Family Health Network of Central New York pairs interpretation services directly with care, so nuance (about symptoms, treatment adherence, risk) moves accurately in both directions.
Family Health Network of Central New York carries both PrEP and PEP, meaning daily oral HIV prevention and post-exposure medication are prescribed and monitored on-site. Sustained PrEP use requires regular viral-load and kidney-function checks; having the prescribing clinician and the lab work at the same address keeps that monitoring intact.
For anyone whose substance use and sexual health are intertwined, a common clinical reality, Family Health Network of Central New York holds both specialties in a single practice. That means a care team that can address both conditions together, without splitting the chart across separate providers.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Family Planning of South Central New York in Cortland runs appointments for rapid HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis C testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs on a sliding-scale fee that extends to everyone, including PrEP coverage for the uninsured.
Leaving herpes or hepatitis C off your panel means scheduling a second visit somewhere else, and paying for it separately. Family Planning of South Central New York tests both on-site, so a single appointment covers the infections that routinely fall through the gap when clinics build around the basic four.
PrEP at Family Planning of South Central New York means a prescribing provider, medication adherence counseling, and the follow-up monitoring the regimen requires. All handled internally. Uninsured patients have a dedicated cost pathway, so the prescription and its ongoing management don't stall at the first billing question.
Many STI clinics leave non-English speakers to navigate sensitive conversations through a speakerphone held across a desk. Family Planning of South Central New York builds interpretation services into its appointments, so the clinical exchange (history, diagnosis, treatment plan) happens without the friction of a patched-in voice.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Finger Lakes Community Health in Ovid covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, rapid and conventional HIV, and hepatitis A, B, and C testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections on appointment. Every service at no charge, on a sliding scale.
A sliding-scale fee that bottoms out at nothing is one thing; a gap left by a cost you didn't expect is another. At Finger Lakes Community Health, the fee structure covers the entire visit (testing, treatment, vaccines, counseling) so no single line item breaks the continuity of care.
Finger Lakes Community Health maintains direct service capacity in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, and Haitian Creole. Meaning clinical conversations happen in those languages, not routed through an intermediary. For someone without a regular English-speaking provider, that standing capability is the difference between a complete visit and a partial one.
Finger Lakes Community Health prescribes all three prevention medications (daily oral PrEP for ongoing HIV protection, PEP for post-exposure HIV management, and DoxyPEP for bacterial STI prevention after sex) and handles the ongoing lab monitoring each regimen requires, keeping adherence counseling and prescription management in the same place.
Languages
American Sign Language, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 23 miles from Ithaca. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Finger Lakes Health in Dundee accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with fees scaled accordingly, and covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB. By appointment, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections.
Finger Lakes Health in Dundee prescribes and manages PrEP, including the required HIV and kidney-function monitoring built into the regimen, and carries PEP for post-exposure situations, keeping both prevention tools within the same clinical relationship rather than split across separate providers.
Chasing hepatitis results through a separate lab or specialist means a delay between exposure and diagnosis, and for hepatitis B, a delay before treatment eligibility. Finger Lakes Health in Dundee tests all three strains and manages hepatitis B treatment on-site, closing that interval at the point of the original visit.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
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 Ithaca, 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 Tompkins 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.
101 Dates Drive, Ithaca, NY 14850
CMS-certified lab
110 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, NY 14853
CMS-certified lab
401 Cayuga Park Lane, 3rd Floor, Ithaca, NY 14850
CMS-certified lab
53 Brown Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
CMS-certified lab
501 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Ithaca. 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, 226 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Ithaca. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 90 offer telehealth.
Stephanie Bates, DO Telehealth
Internal medicine · 401 Cayuga Park Lane, Ithaca
Carol Berlin, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1301 Trumansburg Rd R, Ithaca
Sanjeev Vohra, MD
Urology · 1301 Trumansburg Road, Ithaca
Mary Howson, MD
Family medicine · 302 West Seneca Street, Ithaca
Walter Margie, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 310 Taughannock Boulevard, Ithaca
Amr Elsisi, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 720 Willow Avenue, Ithaca
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 Ithaca, NY 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.
Kinney Drugs
0.2 miGreen Street Pharmacy
0.5 miPalmer Pharmacy
0.5 miGenoa Healthcare
0.5 mi
0.6 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Ithaca, NY.
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 Ithaca, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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 Tompkins County, the county that includes Ithaca, compare with New York and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~61% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#24 of 62 New York counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 61% of the state
| Infection | Tompkins County | New York | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 315.8 327 cases ▼ 43% | 558.4 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 117.8 122 cases ▼ 50% | 235.6 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 1.9 2 cases ▼ 87% | 14.8 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 5.8 6 cases ▼ 75% | 23.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 5.8 6 cases ▼ 77% | 25.2 | 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 Tompkins County, chlamydia has fallen from 369.8 to 315.8 per 100,000 (15%), gonorrhea has risen from 91.7 to 117.8 per 100,000 (28%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 7.6 to 1.9 per 100,000 (75%).
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 Tompkins County.
Local HIV snapshot
Tompkins County HIV care continuum (2022)
Tompkins County recorded 7.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 14.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Tompkins County residents living with HIV, 73.5% are in care · 69.5% 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 Tompkins County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Fall Creek and Northside Triangle are home to a mostly renting population, households that cycle through on academic and work schedules that rarely leave much slack for mid-week appointments. With fewer than one in four residents owning their home and typical rents sitting at a four-figure monthly commitment, a lot of people here are budgeting carefully and keeping hours that don't always align neatly with a standard clinic's nine-to-five. That economic texture matters when you consider how young Ithaca skews.
The city's age profile puts an extraordinary share of residents squarely in the years when STI transmission peaks, people in their late teens and twenties who are often between relationships, between insurance plans, or between semesters, precisely when a long drive or an inconvenient schedule becomes reason enough to delay. With more than four in five households earning below six figures and a labor-force participation rate that reflects a city with a significant non-working student and part-time population, low-cost and flexibly-timed testing isn't a nice-to-have, it's what determines whether screening happens at all.
Getting there
Ithaca scores 10.83/20 on the EPA walkability index, so many trips are walkable or a short ride, though a car still gives you the widest choice of testing centers.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 14850 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 14850 area around Ithaca: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Ithaca alone.
Ithaca sits in Tompkins County, ZIP 14850. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Ithaca? 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 Tompkins County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under New York 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 an Ithaca-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 Ithaca 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 New York 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 New York, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
New York 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 New YorkSource: 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.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Tompkins County reported ~316 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the New York average.
In New York, 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.
Usually urine or a swab for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and blood for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis.
Wait roughly 1–2 weeks after exposure for a reliable chlamydia result.
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.