Reported syphilis in Linn County runs about 28% lower than the US average. If you're in Marion, Iowa, and wondering whether you need testing after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, you can weigh visiting a clinic to start treatment or using an at-home kit on your own schedule.
Available testing centers
8 testing options are listed for Marion, IA. The nearest, MercyCare, is about 0.9 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.
MercyCare in Marion tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis A, B, and C. A panel that goes well beyond the standard four. Fees are charged on a sliding scale, with Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance accepted; appointments are required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Eastern Iowa Health Center Pharmacy & Walk-in Care, in Cedar Rapids, ties STI screening fees directly to household income. No one is turned away because of cost. Walk-in appointments mean same-day access to syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing without scheduling ahead.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Eastern Iowa Health Center in Cedar Rapids runs appointments for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and HIV testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and sliding-scale fees for everyone. Including care delivered in Spanish.
Beyond the standard gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV screen, Eastern Iowa Health Center tests for herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C in a single appointment. That wider scope means chronic viral infections aren't left to a separate visit or a separate provider.
Spanish-language care at Eastern Iowa Health Center isn't routed through a separate intake: it's one of the clinic's operating languages, meaning clinical conversations, counseling, and education on prevention and medication adherence happen directly in Spanish.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
A safety-net federally qualified health center · Title X family-planning grantee about 6 miles from Marion. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
UnityPoint Health in Bertram runs on a sliding-scale fee structure and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance, making the standard panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV) reachable at a predictable cost. Appointments are required, and bacterial STIs are treated the same visit.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Linn County Public Health Department in Cedar Rapids runs entirely without charge: free HIV testing, free hepatitis C testing, and a sliding-scale fee structure covering the full panel of gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB, with Medicaid and insurance also accepted. Appointments are required.
Every test, vaccine, and treatment at Linn County Public Health runs at no cost to the patient. That means PrEP, hepatitis C treatment, TB treatment, and STI treatment all sit at the same price point as the initial test, zero, so a positive result doesn't open a second financial conversation.
Linn County Public Health provides interpretation services for non-English languages across all appointments. Because care here spans medication adherence counseling, PrEP initiation, and TB and hepatitis C treatment, having interpretation present at the clinical level, not arranged separately, keeps complex medication instructions and follow-up timelines accurate from the start.
When prevention medication isn't available at the clinic handling your testing, the gap between a conversation about risk and an actual PrEP prescription can stretch across multiple appointments at separate providers. Linn County Public Health carries both PrEP and PEP on-site in Cedar Rapids, and even covers PrEP costs for uninsured patients, closing that gap before it opens.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 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 Marion, 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 Linn 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.
3301 Armar Drive, Marion, IA 52302
CMS-certified lab
999 35th St Suite 102, Marion, IA 52302
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
5264 Council Street Northeast Suite 700, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Marion. 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, 336 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Marion. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 77 offer telehealth.
Melanie Stahlberg, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 3701 Katz Drive, Marion, IA
Emily Guerber, MD
Family medicine · 2996 7th Avenue, Marion, IA
Natalie Hempy, MD
Family medicine · 2992 7th Avenue, Marion, IA
Kristen Barnette, MD
Family medicine · 5264 Council Street Northeast, Cedar Rapids, IA
Mark Goedken, MD
Family medicine · 1515 42nd Street Northeast, Cedar Rapids, IA
Kristin Gisselman, DO
Family medicine · 3933 Mount Vernon Road Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA
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 Marion, IA 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.
Hy-Vee Pharmacy
0.8 mi
0.8 mi Hy-Vee Pharmacy (1396)
0.9 mi
1.0 mi Showing the 4 closest pharmacies to Marion, IA.
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 Marion, 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
$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
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 Linn County, the county that includes Marion, compare with Iowa and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~21% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#11 of 99 Iowa counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 89% of the state
| Infection | Linn County | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 513.6 1,176 cases ▲ 20% | 426.8 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 163.3 374 cases ▲ 40% | 116.8 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 11.4 26 cases ▲ 11% | 10.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 3.9 9 cases ▼ 58% | 9.2 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 7 16 cases ▼ 29% | 9.9 | 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 Linn County, chlamydia has fallen from 542.8 to 513.6 per 100,000 (5%), gonorrhea has fallen from 248.4 to 163.3 per 100,000 (34%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 6.5 to 11.4 per 100,000 (75%).
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 Linn County.
Local HIV snapshot
Linn County HIV care continuum (2023)
Linn County recorded 7.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 5.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Linn County residents living with HIV, 91.4% are in care · 88.7% 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 Linn County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Around Willowood Park, the streets fill with owner-occupied homes and the kind of household, average size just over three, where somebody is usually shuttling kids between Butterfield Park and practice. Most of Marion bought rather than rented into this stability, and with over seven in ten adults working, weekday clinic hours compete directly with shift schedules and school pickups. That combination, steady jobs and full households, tends to push personal health errands to the bottom of a Tuesday.
It's also a city with a real cluster of younger adults still dating, moving in together, or between relationships, the years when regular screening matters most regardless of how settled the rest of town looks. Linn County's STI patterns don't pause for someone's work schedule, and for a young adult renting near 10th Avenue or living at home off 7th Avenue, getting tested often means finding a slot that doesn't collide with a shift or a kid's pickup time.
Marion's grid makes that easier than it sounds. 7th Avenue and 10th Avenue (both carrying US 151 Business) cut straight through town, linking neighborhoods near Brucemore and Taube Park to the corridors where clinics tend to sit just outside the city line. A short drive up either avenue, rather than a cross-town trek, is often enough to turn a free evening into a completed test.
Getting there
Marion scores 12.38/20 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 52302 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 52302 area around Marion: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Marion alone.
Marion sits in Linn County, ZIP 52302. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Marion? 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 Linn County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Iowa 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 Marion-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 Marion 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 Iowa 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 Iowa, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own; a parent may be notified only in the case of a positive HIV test result.
Iowa 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 IowaSource: 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 MercyCare (0.9 mi); 7 options are within 30 miles.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, Linn County Public Health Department (6.1 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 514 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the Iowa average.
In Iowa, 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.
Expedited partner therapy lets a provider treat a partner without an exam, where state law allows.
Just note your exposure dates and symptoms; for urine tests, hold off urinating ~1 hour before.
A clinic offers same-day answers and on-site treatment; an at-home kit trades that for privacy and convenience, both use real lab testing.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.