Florence County reports about 32 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents, well above the US average. For those in Lake City, South Carolina starting a new relationship or maintaining ongoing care, options include low-cost community and public clinics, and private labs, which provide faster results and more flexible scheduling. We list both types below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Lake City, SC. The nearest, HopeHealth, 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.
HopeHealth in Lake City tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C on a sliding-scale fee with walk-ins welcome; bacterial infections treated the same visit, and all services are provided at no charge.
A fee that surfaces at checkout, even a modest one, can delay follow-up visits or push someone to skip care entirely. At HopeHealth in Lake City, every service, from the initial test to STI treatment to vaccination, is provided at no charge, so cost never becomes the reason a visit doesn't happen.
Leaving hepatitis C off a testing visit means a separate appointment, a separate lab, and a gap where an active infection goes unmanaged. HopeHealth in Lake City adds hepatitis C to the same panel as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. One visit closes the exposure picture rather than leaving a piece of it open.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
South Carolina Department of Public Health in Lake City tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis C, treating bacterial infections the same visit. Fees run on a sliding scale with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance accepted. An appointment is required.
Plenty of clinics prescribe PrEP and leave the rest of the prevention toolkit to specialists elsewhere. South Carolina Department of Public Health in Lake City adds both PEP and DoxyPEP to what's available on-site, meaning all three biomedical prevention options are accessible through a single provider rather than a chain of separate referrals.
The clinic tests for herpes simplex and hepatitis C alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV. Infections that require their own specimen collection and clinical interpretation. Herpes diagnosis draws on swab or serology depending on presentation, while hepatitis C antibody testing is integrated into the same appointment rather than ordered separately.
Languages
English
Tests offered
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Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Genesis Health Care in Olanta weaves STI testing into its broader primary care practice, meaning gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV screening share space with ongoing health relationships. Fees follow a sliding scale, Medicaid and Medicare are accepted, and bacterial STIs can be treated the same visit. An appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
HopeHealth Williamsburg in Kingstree carries federally qualified health center standing, which translates directly into a sliding-scale fee structure tied to household income, so syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening costs adjust to what patients can actually pay, with no appointment needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Health Care Partners of South Carolina in Johnsonville requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead is the entry point: once in, that visit covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, with bacterial infections treated the same day on a sliding-scale fee.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 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 Lake City, 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 Florence 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.
148 Sauls Street, Suite C, Lake City, SC 29560
CMS-certified lab
1590 Freedom Blvd Suite B, Florence, SC 29505
CMS-certified lab
805 Pamplico Highway, Florence, SC 29504
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Lake City. 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, 218 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Lake City. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 14 offer telehealth.
Morris Brown, MD
Family medicine · 901 North Matthews Road, Lake City
Navdeep Singh, MD
Family medicine · 148 Sauls Street, Lake City
Benjamin Lamb, MD
Family medicine · 148 Sauls Street, Lake City
Lisa Wright, MD
Family medicine · 276 North Ron Mcnair Boulevard, Lake City
Amanda Burnette, MD
Family medicine · 211 South Jones Road, Olanta
Karthik Tanneru, MD
Urology · 953 South Pamplico Highway, Pamplico
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 Lake City, 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.
M&D Drug
0.4 mi
0.5 mi KJ Pharmacy
0.7 miThe Medicine Cabinet
0.9 miPiggly Wiggly Pharmacy
1.0 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Lake City, 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 Lake City, 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
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or 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
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 Florence County, the county that includes Lake City, 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.
#13 of 46 South Carolina counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 72% of the state
| Infection | Florence County | South Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 879.6 1,207 cases ▲ 44% | 612.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 328 450 cases ▲ 47% | 222.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 32.1 44 cases ▲ 86% | 17.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 27.7 38 cases ▲ 47% | 18.8 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 5.8 8 cases ▼ 50% | 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 Florence County, chlamydia has risen from 860.9 to 879.6 per 100,000 (2%), gonorrhea has fallen from 476.4 to 328 per 100,000 (31%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 10.9 to 32.1 per 100,000 (194%).
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 Florence 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.
Florence County HIV care continuum (2023)
Florence County recorded 21.7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 18.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Florence County residents living with HIV, 80.8% are in care · 66.4% 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 Florence County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Along East Main Street, where storefronts reflect a community still working toward steadier ground, a clinic visit can quietly shift from necessary to deferrable when the rent comes due. That's the reality for nearly half the town's residents who rent rather than own, and with unemployment running noticeably above the national norm, the calculus of taking time off or covering an out-of-pocket fee lands differently here than it does in more affluent markets. The testing options listed on this page exist precisely because no single price point or schedule works for a community this varied.
Lake City's household picture (larger-than-average families, a relatively low share of married adults, and a majority of residents outside the traditional workforce) means a lot of people are navigating health decisions without an employer's insurance nudge or a partner's scheduling backup. Younger adults in their late teens and twenties, who represent a substantial slice of this community, often have the least flexibility to absorb a visit that's inconvenient or costly, even when they recognize the need. Knowing which of the options offer sliding-scale fees before you show up is what turns that planning into something you actually follow through on.
Getting there
At 5.36/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Lake City 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 29560 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 29560 area around Lake City: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Lake City alone.
Lake City sits in Florence County, ZIP 29560. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Lake City? 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 Florence 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 Lake City-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 Lake City 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.
Possibly, Kingstree, SC is close; compare it by distance against HopeHealth.
Public clinics are free; private labs ~$24–$139, at-home kits $49+.
Yes, HopeHealth (0.4 mi) offers free testing, and public clinics serve the uninsured.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 880 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.
Yes, test after the window period, and if HIV exposure is a concern, ask about PEP within 72 hours.
Yes if the first test was early; recheck a few weeks out for chlamydia/gonorrhea and up to ~3 months for HIV/syphilis.
It depends: a blood draw covers HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis, while urine or a swab covers chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.