Lancaster County runs about 37% lower than the US average for reported gonorrhea, but whether you need testing after a possible exposure or for routine care in Lincoln, Nebraska, there are several paths to consider. Public clinics keep costs down, private labs prioritize speed, and at-home kits trade a clinic visit for convenience. The list below outlines your options.
Available testing centers
10 testing options are listed for Lincoln, NE. The nearest, Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department, is about 0.3 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.
Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department takes walk-ins, so a single visit covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB testing: with bacterial STIs treated the same day on a sliding scale, and every service provided at no fee.
The fee structure at Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department is singular: HIV tests, STI treatment, hepatitis testing, TB testing, the mpox vaccine, HPV vaccine, and hepatitis A and B vaccines all carry no charge whatsoever. Sliding scale exists for services with a fee, but the free-service list is long enough that most visits never reach it.
Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department employs Spanish-speaking staff and maintains on-site interpretation services for additional languages, meaning counseling, HIV test results, and PrEP consultations are conducted directly, not relayed through a secondary party, with the accuracy that clinical conversations demand.
Many STI testing sites hand off HIV prevention to outside providers entirely. Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department prescribes both PrEP and PEP in-house, with PrEP available at no cost for uninsured patients. Keeping prevention and testing in the same clinical relationship rather than splitting them across separate systems.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Bluestem Health in Lincoln runs on a sliding scale open to everyone, with Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance all accepted. Testing covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and HIV, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections; appointments are required, and Spanish-language care is available.
Bluestem Health delivers care in Spanish: meaning a clinician conducts the visit in Spanish, which keeps the full weight of a diagnosis, a treatment decision, or a follow-up instruction intact rather than filtered through a secondary step.
Beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, Bluestem Health runs herpes testing as part of its panel. That means the clinical staff is equipped to collect and process the right specimen type, swab or blood draw depending on presentation, rather than routing that test separately.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Nebraska AIDS Project in Lincoln requires an appointment and, within that single visit, covers HIV testing alongside the core STI panel (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) at no cost to patients regardless of income.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Bluestem Health: Main Clinic, in Lincoln, earned its federally qualified designation by tying fees to patient income: meaning syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening costs scale with what you actually earn, and no appointment is needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A community safety-net Ryan White HIV care about 1 mile from Lincoln. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Bluestem Health: Thompson Clinic, in Lincoln, carries federal community health center certification: meaning its STI screening fees slide with income, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing genuinely reachable for patients across the pay spectrum, with no appointment needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Family Health Services in Lincoln covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and rapid HIV testing with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections confirmed on the spot: all on a sliding scale, with appointments required and every service available at no fee.
Family Health Services charges nothing for any service it provides: testing, treatment, HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccination all included. That zero-fee baseline applies across the board, not as a carved-out program for a specific circumstance.
Spanish is one of two languages in which Family Health Services delivers care in Lincoln: meaning STI counseling, HIV prevention education, and treatment conversations happen directly in Spanish. The clinical relationship itself operates in the language, not around it.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
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 Lincoln, 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 Lancaster 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.
1600 South 48th Street, Lincoln, NE 68506
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
2221 South 17th Street, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68502
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Celerion, Inc, Clinical Lab, Lincoln, NE 68502
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
555 South 70th Street, Lincoln, NE 68510
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
555 South 70th Street, Lincoln, NE 68510
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Lincoln. 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, 246 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Lincoln. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 51 offer telehealth.
Yvonne Davenport, MD
OB-GYN · 9110 Andermatt Drive, Lincoln
Adam Brank, MD
Internal medicine · 9100 Andermatt Drive, Lincoln
Heather Eberspacher, MD
Family medicine · 550 North 19th Street, Lincoln
Horacio Alvarez Ramirez, MD
Family medicine · 1021 North 27th Street, Lincoln
Benjamin Martin, MD
Family medicine · 4600 Valley Road, Lincoln
Jeffery Hollis, MD
Family medicine · 4600 Valley Road, Lincoln
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 Lincoln, NE 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.
Vogt Pharmacies
0.4 miLincoln Pharmacy
0.7 miKohlls Pharmacy
0.8 miWagey Drug
0.8 mi
0.9 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Lincoln, NE.
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 Lincoln, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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
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 Lancaster County, the county that includes Lincoln, compare with Nebraska and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~34% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#6 of 93 Nebraska counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 94% of the state
| Infection | Lancaster County | Nebraska | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 495.2 1,618 cases ▲ 6% | 468.8 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 113.9 372 cases ▼ 1% | 115.5 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 15.9 52 cases ▲ 53% | 10.4 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 10.1 33 cases ▲ 68% | 6 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 41.9 137 cases ▲ 93% | 21.7 | 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 Lancaster County, chlamydia has fallen from 573.5 to 495.2 per 100,000 (14%), gonorrhea has fallen from 249.5 to 113.9 per 100,000 (54%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.4 to 15.9 per 100,000 (368%).
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 Lancaster County.
Local HIV snapshot
Lancaster County HIV care continuum (2023)
Lancaster County recorded 6.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Lancaster County residents living with HIV, 41% are in care · 35% 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 Lancaster County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Near O Street and the blocks fanning out toward Woods Park, a lot of Lincoln residents are somewhere in the middle of figuring things out: new jobs, shared leases, relationships that are still taking shape. That life stage maps closely onto the years when STI rates run highest, and Lancaster County's numbers reflect that reality. Most Lincoln households are owner-occupied, but a sizable share of residents rent, typically at rates that leave limited room for unexpected medical costs. With nearly three in four adults in the labor force and unemployment low, schedules tend to be full rather than flexible.
That combination, steady work at compressed hours, means a clinic visit can be the thing that gets bumped when the week crowds in. The fact that fewer than one in four households clears six figures makes out-of-pocket screening costs a real consideration, not a minor one, so knowing which options listed here offer sliding-scale or low-cost visits matters before you show up. That drive length is worth factoring in when you choose a day and time, because a site with Saturday hours a few miles out is often easier to actually reach than a closer one open only on weekday mornings.
Getting there
Lincoln scores 11.21/20 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.
Lincoln sits in Lancaster County. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Lincoln? 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 Lancaster County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Nebraska 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 Lincoln-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 Lincoln 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Nebraska 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 NebraskaSource: 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, Waverly, NE is close; compare it by distance against Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department.
Public clinics are free; private labs ~$24–$139, at-home kits $49+.
Yes, Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department (0.3 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 495 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the Nebraska average.
Yes, at-home kits ship to 68516; you collect a sample, mail it back, and get results in about 2–5 days.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Nebraska, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, partners should test and be treated together to avoid passing it back and forth.
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.