In Benton County, new HIV diagnoses run about 40% lower than the U.S. average, but if you're in Lowell, Arkansas, and wondering whether you need testing after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, you have options. Some clinics offer same-day testing for walk-ins, while laboratories and at-home kits let you schedule around your time. See the listings below for options.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Lowell, AR. The nearest, Mercy, is about 0.5 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.
Mercy in Lowell pairs same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis) with a panel that reaches well beyond the standard four, all on a sliding-scale fee and by appointment, with DoxyPEP available for ongoing bacterial prevention.
DoxyPEP, doxycycline taken after a potential bacterial exposure, requires a provider who can assess eligibility, write the prescription, and follow antibiotic stewardship over time. Mercy handles that clinical relationship directly, so dosing decisions and any follow-up monitoring stay with the same clinical team rather than bouncing between offices.
Mercy's standing panel covers hepatitis A, B, and C alongside herpes. Infections that matter to anyone without a regular primary care provider who runs these labs or to someone paying out of pocket who can't afford a second appointment elsewhere. With sliding-scale fees and the full panel available at a single visit, there's no separate specialist to book.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
ARcare in Lowell earned its federal health center designation by tying fees to each patient's income, no one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for sliding-scale STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Mercy-GoHealth Urgent Care in Rogers tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, and hepatitis on a sliding-scale fee (walk-ins welcome, no appointment needed) with interpretation services available for non-English languages.
Plenty of urgent-care STI stops cover HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, and nothing else. Mercy-GoHealth in Rogers adds herpes, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to the same visit, closing gaps that a narrower panel would leave undetected.
Without on-site language support, a patient navigating STI symptoms in a second language may leave with an incomplete history taken and a prescription that doesn't fully account for what they described. Mercy-GoHealth Rogers has interpretation services in place so that communication gaps don't become treatment gaps.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Community Clinic in Springdale tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, treating bacterial infections the same visit on a sliding-scale fee open to everyone, and every service here carries no charge.
Sliding-scale clinics still leave a balance for many people, a reduced number is still a number. Community Clinic absorbs that entirely: the full range of testing, treatment, and prevention services carries no cost, so nothing about the bill shapes what care someone accepts or completes.
Many clinics handle Spanish through an app held up across a desk. Community Clinic delivers care directly in Spanish, which means a clinical conversation (symptoms, history, questions about a prescription) happens in the room, without a device mediating between the patient and the provider.
Community Clinic prescribes both PrEP and PEP directly, without routing to an outside provider. PrEP, whether tenofovir-based or otherwise, requires ongoing HIV testing and monitoring, and that follow-up structure lives at the same clinic, keeping the prescription and its required labs in one place.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
A public STD-testing location about 5 miles from Lowell.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 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 Lowell, 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 Benton 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.
808 South 52nd Street, Rogers, AR 72758
CMS-certified lab
901 Southeast Plaza Avenue, Suite 5, Bentonville, AR 72712
CMS-certified lab
1101-2 North Progress Avenue, First Floor, Siloam Springs, AR 72761
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Lowell. 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, 355 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Lowell. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 115 offer telehealth.
Dustin Pope, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 503 Hospitality Lane, Lowell
Gentry Damron, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 4502 South Dixieland Road, Rogers
Dalton Gray, MD
Family medicine · 2301 West Pleasant Grove Road, Rogers
Martin Hannon, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 3730 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers
Jasmine Tibon, MD
OB-GYN · 3333 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers
Michael Potts, MD
OB-GYN · 3333 South Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Rogers
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 Lowell, AR 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.
Harps Pharmacy
0.1 miCollier Drug Lowell
0.4 miArcare Pharmacy 134
0.8 miLowell Pharmacy
1.0 mi
1.8 mi 
1.9 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Lowell, AR.
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 Lowell, 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.
$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
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
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 Benton County, the county that includes Lowell, compare with Arkansas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~30% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#48 of 75 Arkansas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 36% of the state
| Infection | Benton County | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 329.6 1,025 cases ▼ 43% | 579.6 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 81.7 254 cases ▼ 58% | 193.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 10 31 cases ▼ 66% | 29.2 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 10.9 34 cases ▼ 37% | 17.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 12.9 40 cases ▼ 73% | 48 | 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 Benton County, chlamydia has risen from 274 to 329.6 per 100,000 (20%), gonorrhea has risen from 76.3 to 81.7 per 100,000 (7%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.5 to 10 per 100,000 (186%).
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 Benton County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Arkansas 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.
Benton County HIV care continuum (2023)
Benton County recorded 8.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Benton County residents living with HIV, 38.3% are in care · 27.9% 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 Benton County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Lowell reads, on its surface, like a settled community: most households own their homes, the majority of adults are married, and unemployment is nearly nonexistent. But settled doesn't mean frictionless when it comes to healthcare access, and the logistics underneath that stability are worth naming. Many of them younger adults whose $836 monthly payment leaves little slack for appointments that aren't free or close to free.
That younger contingent, people in their late teens and twenties still navigating new relationships and new routines, is exactly where STI rates concentrate, and Benton County's numbers reflect that pattern. Lowell's large average household size means people are rarely living in isolation, which makes regular screening a practical consideration for partners and families, not just individuals. With three in four residents actively working, many of them in full-time roles, mid-week clinic hours can genuinely collide with a shift schedule.
Getting there
At 5.68/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Lowell 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 72745 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 72745 area around Lowell: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Lowell alone.
Lowell sits in Benton County, ZIP 72745. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Lowell? 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 Benton County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Arkansas 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 Lowell-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 Lowell 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Arkansas 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 ArkansasSource: 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.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
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.
Benton County reported ~330 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Arkansas average.
In Arkansas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
At-home kits mail to 72745: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Your results are part of your HIPAA-protected medical record; you can ask any clinic about its own privacy practices.
A positive means treatment is the next step; many STIs are cured with antibiotics, and all are treatable.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.