Pierce County reports about 165 gonorrhea cases per 100,000 residents, near the US average. If you live in Lakewood, Washington, and need STI testing for a one-time concern or regular check-ups, you have options for same-day testing at some clinics or more flexible testing with labs and at-home kits. See the list below.
Available testing centers
12 testing options are listed for Lakewood, WA. The nearest, Community Health Care, 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.
Community Health Care in Lakewood tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and TB on a sliding-scale fee accepted by Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurers. Appointments are required, and bacterial STIs are treated the same visit. Spanish-language care is available throughout.
Community Health Care delivers care in Spanish across the full visit: history, results, treatment, and prevention counseling. For someone whose primary language is Spanish and who has no regular provider, that continuity means nothing gets lost in translation when decisions actually need to be made.
Community Health Care prescribes both PrEP and PEP for HIV prevention, which means a patient can establish ongoing medication management at the same clinic where they test and receive counseling. No hand-off to a separate provider required.
For anyone without a regular primary care provider, Community Health Care's panel (which adds herpes testing to HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) means a more complete picture is available in one appointment, on the sliding-scale fee structure that applies to every service.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Sea Mar Community Health Centers in Lakewood tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB, treats bacterial STIs the same visit, and scales fees to income. With care delivered in Spanish.
Without Spanish-language clinical care at Sea Mar Community Health Centers, a patient navigating STI treatment in a second language risks miscommunication at exactly the moment precision matters. Wrong dosing instructions, missed follow-up, untreated infection. Sea Mar carries the entire clinical conversation in Spanish, so nothing falls through between the diagnosis and the prescription.
Sea Mar Community Health Centers in Lakewood holds on-site hepatitis C treatment, the antivirals, not just the antibody screen. For anyone without a standing specialist relationship or managing costs out of pocket, that means the path from confirmed diagnosis to active medication runs through one clinic, not two or three.
Leaving hepatitis A, B, and C off a standard panel means discovering those infections later, at a separate facility, with a separate fee and a delay in treatment. Sea Mar's panel in Lakewood includes all three alongside the bacterial and HIV tests, so a single appointment closes gaps that a narrower screen would leave open.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
AHF Wellness Center – Tacoma runs every service — HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, and PrEP — at no charge, with no insurance required and no appointment needed.
Free testing is one thing; AHF Wellness Center – Tacoma extends that same no-fee structure through treatment, PrEP prescriptions, and pharmacy support — including home delivery where available. The operational backbone is AHF's own pharmacy network, which fulfills and refills prescriptions without routing through a separate cost center.
Plenty of clinics prescribe PrEP; far fewer have DoxyPEP in their active formulary alongside PEP. AHF Wellness Center – Tacoma carries all three, meaning the full current range of biomedical HIV and bacterial STI prevention tools can be prescribed, managed, and refilled in Tacoma without sending patients elsewhere.
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2026 · Source: ahf-locator
Sea Mar CHC - Tacoma S. Cedar St. in Tacoma, welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federally qualified status ties fees to a sliding income scale, keeping syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing within reach for anyone who walks through the door.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A community safety-net federally qualified health center about 6 miles from Lakewood. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in Tacoma runs on a sliding-scale fee, open to anyone regardless of income, and tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, rapid or conventional, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and appointments required. Spanish is spoken on staff.
Spanish is a working clinical language at Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department: not a supplemental service, but part of how counseling, test results, and treatment decisions are communicated. That means nuance in a conversation about exposure history or treatment adherence isn't compressed by translation lag.
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department offers substance-use treatment alongside STI care, which means a patient managing both doesn't need to coordinate separate appointments at separate agencies. One visit can address intersecting health concerns at the same facility.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Nov 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Sea Mar CHC - Tacoma S. 19th St. in Tacoma, earned federal qualification as a community health center, which translates directly into sliding-scale STI screening priced against each patient's income. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing without an appointment required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Sea Mar CHC - Spanaway 176th St. S. in Spanaway, anchors its STI care in a sliding-scale fee structure tied to income. No one is turned away for inability to pay, a guarantee built into its federally qualified standing. Screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with no appointment needed.
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 less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Lakewood, 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & up
Best value: single tests
$49 & 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 Pierce 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.
11315 Bridgeport Way Southwest, Tacoma, WA 98499
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
9601 Steilacoom Boulevard Southwest, Tacoma, WA 98498
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
9720 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, WA 98499
CMS-certified lab
11315 Bridgeport Way Southwest, Lakewood, WA 98499
CMS-certified lab
11315 Bridgeport Way Southwest, Tacoma, WA 98499
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Lakewood. 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, 1,785 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Lakewood. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 654 offer telehealth.
Ulrich Birlenbach, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 5920 100th Southwest, Lakewood, WA
Minh-Triet Vo
Family medicine · 9537 Gravelly Lake Drive Southwest, Lakewood, WA
Micah Atwood, DO
Family medicine · 5700 100th Street Southwest, Lakewood, WA
Adrienne Lopata, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 11307 Bridgeport Way Southwest, Lakewood, WA
Joseph Regimbal, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 11307 Bridgeport Way Southwest, Lakewood, WA
John Bak, MD Telehealth
Urology · 11307 Bridgeport Way Southwest, Lakewood, WA
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 Lakewood, WA 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.
1.4 mi Haggen Opco North
1.6 mi
1.6 mi Department of Social
1.9 miFred Meyer Pharmacy
2.5 miMega Pharmacy
3.2 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Lakewood, WA.
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 Lakewood, 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.
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
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions 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 Pierce County, the county that includes Lakewood, compare with Washington and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~31% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#6 of 39 Washington counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 85% of the state
| Infection | Pierce County | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 466.8 4,335 cases ▲ 32% | 354.4 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 164.7 1,530 cases ▲ 27% | 129.6 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 30.8 286 cases ▲ 45% | 21.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 14.6 136 cases ▲ 17% | 12.5 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 28.6 266 cases ▲ 25% | 22.9 | 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 Pierce County, chlamydia has fallen from 607.7 to 466.8 per 100,000 (23%), gonorrhea has fallen from 239.7 to 164.7 per 100,000 (31%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 11.8 to 30.8 per 100,000 (161%).
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 Pierce County.
Local HIV snapshot
Pierce County HIV care continuum (2023)
Pierce County recorded 8.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Pierce County residents living with HIV, 79.3% are in care · 72.4% 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 Pierce County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Lakewood households tend to hold health decisions collectively: nearly half of adults here are married, and with average households running close to three people, a conversation about getting tested often involves a partner or family member rather than a solo calendar check. That dynamic can work in everyone's favor when couples make screening a shared habit, but it can also mean individual appointments get deferred when competing schedules, childcare, or a tight monthly budget take precedence. Rent around a thousand dollars a month leaves real limits on discretionary spending, and with more than half of Lakewood residents renting, there's less financial cushion to absorb an unexpected clinic bill, which makes the sliding-scale and low-cost options listed here more than a convenience. The younger adults moving through Clover Park and along Bridgeport Way Southwest, people in their late teens and twenties still figuring out relationships and routines, are exactly the group Pierce County STI data reflects most sharply.
Getting tested when you're juggling shift work, a lease, and shared transportation across a city where most errands require a car isn't automatic; it takes options that actually fit an uneven week. With the clinics on this page covering a range of hours and costs, Lakewood residents have a realistic path to routine screening. One that doesn't require a special trip past Fort Steilacoom Park to feel like an ordeal.
Getting there
Lakewood scores 14.01/20 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 98499 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 98499 area around Lakewood: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Lakewood alone.
Lakewood sits in Pierce County, ZIP 98499. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Lakewood? 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 Pierce County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Washington 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 Lakewood-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 Lakewood 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 Washington 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 Washington, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Washington 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 WashingtonSource: 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.
There are 12 options within a 30-mile drive.
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.
Pierce County reported ~467 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Washington average.
At-home kits mail to 98499: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In Washington, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
Yes, site matters; oral/anal exposure needs a throat or rectal swab, which urine testing won't catch.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.