Charleston County runs about 55% higher than the US average for new HIV diagnoses. Whether you're getting your first STI test or a routine screening in James Island, South Carolina, compare community and public clinics for affordability with private labs' quicker results and more flexible scheduling. Check out the options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for James Island, SC. The nearest, Medical University of South Carolina, is about 1.9 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.
Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston requires an appointment, so schedule ahead: that visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB, with sliding-scale fees, same-visit bacterial treatment, and care available in Spanish.
For anyone without a regular primary care provider, or paying out of pocket and wanting every answer in a single appointment, MUSC's panel includes herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C alongside the standard four. That means fewer separate visits to piece together a complete picture of sexual health.
MUSC's prevention services include both PrEP and PEP, managed through the clinic rather than handed off elsewhere. PrEP requires ongoing lab monitoring (kidney function, HIV status, STI screening) and that follow-up infrastructure is built into the care model here, keeping the prescription and the oversight in the same place.
Many clinics offer Spanish only through a workaround, a line, a device, a third party inserted into the room. At Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Spanish-language care is a direct clinical capability, so the conversation about symptoms, medications, and follow-up happens without a relay.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Fetter Health Care Network in Charleston tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis B and C, with the full panel on a sliding scale open to any income, and every service here is provided at no charge. Appointments are required.
Sliding-scale clinics routinely hold a floor, a minimum co-pay, a flat charge for certain tests, a carve-out for treatment. At Fetter Health Care Network, the entire visit runs at no fee: testing, STI treatment, PrEP, vaccines, counseling. None of it carries a charge.
A language gap at a clinic doesn't just make the visit uncomfortable, it can leave a treatable infection untreated because the exposure history never fully communicated and the follow-up instructions didn't land. Fetter Health Care Network in Charleston builds interpretation services into appointments so that gap never opens.
Fetter Health Care Network prescribes and monitors PrEP directly: that means the baseline HIV and kidney-function labs, the initial prescription, and the ongoing every-three-month visits that keep the regimen current. PEP is also available for prevention when the timing calls for it.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
One80 Place in Charleston welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federally qualified status anchors its sliding-scale fee structure, pegging costs to income. A single visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, giving patients a complete standard STI panel in one stop.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in Charleston tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis B on a sliding-scale fee with insurance and Medicaid accepted; bacterial infections are treated the same visit, and appointments are required.
When a language barrier delays care, gonorrhea or chlamydia goes untreated longer, and the exposure window grows. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in Charleston staffs Spanish-language services directly and provides interpretation for other languages, so nothing about your care gets lost or deferred because of how you communicate.
As a Title X–funded clinic, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in Charleston holds the legal authority to provide confidential family planning services to minors: meaning a young person without a regular provider, or one who needs care outside a parent's insurance, has a direct path to testing and treatment here.
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in Charleston prescribes both PrEP and PEP, which means ongoing HIV prevention is managed through the same clinical relationship as your STI testing: no separate provider to find, no gap between your test result and your next preventive step.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Mughelli - Oyibokja Wellness Center for Women, Charleston, carries federally qualified health center standing: meaning its STI screening fees slide along an income-based scale, keeping syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing within reach for patients at virtually any income level, with no appointment 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 about 2 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to James Island, 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 Charleston 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.
945 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
325 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
418 Folly Road, Suite B, Charleston, SC 29412
CMS-certified lab
776 Daniel Ellis Dr Suite 1A, Charleston, SC 29412
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near James Island. 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, 664 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of James Island. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 236 offer telehealth.
Robert Teachman, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 776 Daniel Ellis Drive, Charleston
Justin Dean Telehealth
Family medicine · 490 Martello Drive, Charleston
Robert Cain, MD
Internal medicine · 1 Bishop Gadsden Way, Charleston
James Lipke, MD
Family medicine · 418 Folly Road, Charleston
Aaron Hyson, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 347 Folly Road, Charleston
Karey Breen, MD
Family medicine · 354 Folly Road, Charleston
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 James Island, 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.
Kerr Drug 603
0.5 mi
0.5 mi Kerr Drug 612
1.7 mi
1.7 mi 
1.8 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to James Island, 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 James Island, 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 Charleston County, the county that includes James Island, compare with South Carolina and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~15% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#26 of 46 South Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 43% of the state
| Infection | Charleston County | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 577.3 2,450 cases ▼ 6% | 612.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 192.8 818 cases ▼ 13% | 222.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 18.9 80 cases ▲ 9% | 17.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 16.5 70 cases ▼ 12% | 18.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 14.4 61 cases ▲ 23% | 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 Charleston County, chlamydia has fallen from 695.9 to 577.3 per 100,000 (17%), gonorrhea has fallen from 330.9 to 192.8 per 100,000 (42%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 18.6 to 18.9 per 100,000 (2%).
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 Charleston 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.
Charleston County HIV care continuum (2023)
Charleston County recorded 21.3 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 18.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Charleston County residents living with HIV, 76.8% are in care · 50.8% 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 Charleston County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Folly Road threads through the heart of James Island, past Demetre Park and out toward the coast, and for most residents the question of getting screened isn't whether a clinic is nearby but whether a weekday appointment fits around a job, a household, and a commute that often involves the James Island Expressway into Charleston proper. The options listed on this page serve that reality across twelve entries, including some reachable without crossing the bridge into the peninsula.
The community here skews toward settled, rooted households: more than four in five residents own their homes, and the majority of adults are married, often with children sharing the roof given how full the average household runs. That stability is real, but it also means schedules are dense. Young adults in their late teens and twenties, the years when STI transmission tends to peak, are a smaller slice of a community that otherwise trends older and established, which can make sexual health feel like someone else's concern rather than a shared one across Centerville, Camp Road Estates, and beyond.
What cuts through that perception is convenience. With nearly seven in ten residents in the workforce and unemployment exceptionally low, most people here are working full schedules rather than hunting for one. Several of the listed options carry evening or weekend hours, which means a resident finishing a shift and heading home along SC 171 can often stop without reorganizing the rest of the week around it.
Getting there
At 9.75/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in James Island 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 29412 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 29412 area around James Island: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not James Island alone.
James Island sits in Charleston County, ZIP 29412. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside James Island? 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 Charleston 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 James Island-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 James Island 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.
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.
Charleston County reported ~577 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the South Carolina average.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In South Carolina, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
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.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.