Gonorrhea reports in Medina County run about 62% lower than the US average. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in LaCoste, Texas, weigh the budget-friendliness of public clinics, the speed of private labs, and the convenience of at-home kits. Below are your options.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for LaCoste, TX. The nearest, Lytle Community Health Center, is about 5.3 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 community safety-net federally qualified health center about 5 miles from LaCoste. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Atascosa Health Center in Lytle runs on a sliding scale and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, conventional HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB. With same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs and care delivered in Spanish.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, Atascosa Health Center tests for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, and carries hepatitis A and adult hepatitis B vaccines on-site. That combination of antibody testing and vaccination at the same appointment closes gaps that a narrower panel would leave open.
Spanish functions as a full clinical language at Atascosa Health Center, not a supplemental accommodation. Counseling, STI prevention education, TB prevention, and HIV/AIDS education are all delivered in Spanish, which means clinical nuance and follow-up instructions carry their full weight in conversation.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
CommuniCare Health Centers - Luckey Ranch, in San Antonio, structures its fees on a sliding scale tied to income, so cost is never a barrier to care. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening that covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia under its federally qualified health center standing.
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 5 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to LaCoste, 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 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 Medina 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.
3100 Avenue East, Hondo, TX 78861
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
813 Paris Street, Castroville, TX 78009
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near LaCoste. 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, 1,326 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of LaCoste. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 380 offer telehealth.
Rodrigo Crespo, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 1051 US Hwy 90 East, Castroville
Ann Black, MD
Family medicine · 1501 Houston Street, Castroville
Lloyd Van Winkle, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 409 Madrid Street, Castroville
Joseph Heinen, MD
Family medicine · 13515 Sundance Scape, San Antonio
Leonel Lopez, MD
Family medicine · 11914 Dragon Lane, San Antonio
Bobby Pittman, MD
Family medicine · 3096 US Hwy 90 West, Castroville
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 LaCoste, TX 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.
5.4 mi 
5.5 mi 
11 mi Showing the 3 closest pharmacies to LaCoste, TX.
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 LaCoste, 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
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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 Medina County, the county that includes LaCoste, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~28% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#178 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 30% of the state
| Infection | Medina County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 219 120 cases ▼ 55% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 67.5 37 cases ▼ 62% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 7.3 4 cases ▼ 51% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 21.9 12 cases ▼ 17% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 27.4 15 cases ▼ 38% | 44.3 | 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 Medina County, chlamydia has fallen from 281.8 to 219 per 100,000 (22%), gonorrhea has fallen from 94.6 to 67.5 per 100,000 (29%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 5.9 to 7.3 per 100,000 (24%).
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 Medina County.
Local HIV snapshot
Medina County HIV care continuum (2023)
Among Medina County residents living with HIV, 71.8% are in care · 62.8% 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 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 Medina County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Rhins Hill anchors the quieter edge of LaCoste, where most households own their homes outright and have for years. A stability that shapes daily life in ways both practical and subtle. With households averaging more than three people and a strong majority of married adults, this is genuinely a community built around families. But family-rooted towns can still carry unspoken assumptions about who "needs" sexual health care, and those assumptions rarely serve younger adults well.
People in their late teens and twenties, a meaningful slice of LaCoste's population, are forming partnerships, navigating new relationships, and often the last to prioritize routine screening when nothing feels obviously wrong. With nearly two-thirds of residents in the workforce and unemployment essentially negligible, most people are working full schedules. That combination (everyone busy, no clinic down the street) means the window for getting tested has to be planned for, not stumbled into. Low rent relative to neighboring areas does ease cost pressure somewhat, which matters when weighing whether to pay out of pocket.
Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church is a landmark most LaCoste residents pass regularly. The nearest clinic listed here sits beyond it, out on the highway. Worth mapping before the week fills up.
Getting there
At 5.3/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in LaCoste 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 78039 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 78039 area around LaCoste: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not LaCoste alone.
LaCoste sits in Medina County, ZIP 78039. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside LaCoste? 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 Medina County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas 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 LaCoste-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 LaCoste 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 Texas 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 Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Texas 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 TexasSource: 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 Lytle Community Health Center (5.3 mi); 7 options are within 30 miles.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
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 219 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Texas average.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, from a reputable lab, confirm any positive with a clinician for treatment.
Yes, most chlamydia infections cause no symptoms, so screening is the only reliable way to catch it.
There's no cure, but antivirals manage symptoms well and reduce transmission.
It's cured with antibiotics; treating partners together prevents reinfection.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.