Falls County reports syphilis rates running about 63% below the US average. If you live in Marlin, Texas and are wondering whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, consider that community and public clinics are often low-cost or free but private labs can offer faster results. Compare options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Marlin, TX. The nearest, Falls Community Hospital and Clinic, is about 0.1 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.
A safety-net rural health clinic in Marlin. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Texas Department of State Health Services in Marlin requires an appointment, and that single scheduled visit covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB testing alongside STI treatment, DoxyPEP, and family planning. All at no charge regardless of ability to pay.
A cost barrier at any point in care (the test, the follow-up, the treatment) can leave an infection unaddressed and progressing. At Texas Department of State Health Services in Marlin, every service on the menu, from the initial panel through STI treatment, carries no fee, closing that gap before it opens.
Many clinics handle Spanish-speaking patients through improvised arrangements that slow down and flatten a conversation. Texas Department of State Health Services in Marlin delivers care directly in Spanish, keeping clinical detail, nuance, and patient questions intact through the full visit.
DoxyPEP (doxycycline taken after a potential bacterial STI exposure to reduce the risk of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is a prescribable service at Texas Department of State Health Services in Marlin, meaning eligible patients leave with an active prevention tool, not a suggestion to seek one elsewhere.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Waco Family Medicine – Tom Oliver S. 18th, in Waco, carries full federal qualification as a community health center, which means STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is priced on a sliding scale tied to each patient's income, keeping costs proportionate rather than fixed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Waco Family Medicine – Imperial Drive, in Waco, earned its federal qualification by meeting strict community-health standards, which means sliding-scale STI screening priced to your income, no appointment needed. Walk in for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing in a single visit.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Coryell Health in Waco covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, treating bacterial infections the same visit when results warrant it: sliding-scale fees apply, and walk-ins are welcome.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · 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 Marlin, 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 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 Falls 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.
322 Coleman Street, Marlin, TX 76661
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Marlin. 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, 226 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Marlin. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 49 offer telehealth.
Liza Banaag, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 318 Chambers Street, Marlin, TX
Clorinda Zawacki, MD
Internal medicine · 322 Coleman Street, Marlin, TX
Matthew Porter, MD
Family medicine · 1800 Gurley Lane, Waco, TX
Victor Serrano, MD
Internal medicine · 5940 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX
Harry Miller, MD
Family medicine · 5400 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX
Karen Vaughn, MD
Internal medicine · 5400 Crosslake Parkway, Waco, TX
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 Marlin, TX 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.
Gibson Pharmacy
0.2 miSanitarium Drug Store
0.2 mi
1.1 mi Coburns Pharmacy
16 miRosebud Pharmacy
17 mi
18 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Marlin, TX.
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 Marlin, 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
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
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or 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 Falls County, the county that includes Marlin, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~25% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#42 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 83% of the state
| Infection | Falls County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 503.3 87 cases ▲ 2% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 138.8 24 cases ▼ 21% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 5.8 1 cases ▼ 61% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 34.7 6 cases ▲ 31% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 40.5 7 cases ▼ 9% | 44.3 | 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 Falls County, chlamydia has risen from 418.4 to 503.3 per 100,000 (20%), gonorrhea has fallen from 212.2 to 138.8 per 100,000 (35%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 29.5 to 5.8 per 100,000 (80%).
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 Falls County.
Local HIV snapshot
Falls County HIV care continuum (2023)
Among Falls County residents living with HIV, 77.1% are in care · 64.6% 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 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 Falls County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Marlin households run larger than most, and a lot of them are stretched thin: with barely a quarter of adults married and average households pushing past four people, a single rent check or car repair often has to cover more than one generation under one roof. Work here is inconsistent too. Fewer than half of adults are actively in the labor force, and unemployment runs high enough that a day off for a clinic visit can mean a real hit to the week's pay, not just an inconvenience. That math matters for people in their early twenties and up through their early thirties, since that's the stretch of adulthood when new partners, new living situations, and new routines make regular screening worth doing on a schedule rather than waiting for a reason.
Money is tight almost everywhere in town. Rent runs low by any regional comparison, and home values sit low too, which tells you incomes here don't leave much slack for anything unplanned, medical care included. That's the backdrop against which a trip out Live Oak Street or over to North Business Highway 6 to reach a testing site has to compete with grocery runs, shift schedules, and gas money. Falls County's numbers don't care whether Marlin's next testing rush comes this month or next quarter. What matters is that when someone in Marlin decides to get checked, the drive and the cost don't quietly talk them out of it before they start.
Getting there
At 7.74/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Marlin 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 76661 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 76661 area around Marlin: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Marlin alone.
Marlin sits in Falls County, ZIP 76661. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Marlin? 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 Falls County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas 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 Marlin-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 Marlin 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 Texas 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 Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Texas 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 TexasSource: 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 8 options within a 30-mile drive.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it, and public clinics are free either way.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Falls County reported ~503 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Texas average.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
At-home kits mail to 76661: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Teen and campus health clinics and public health departments offer youth-friendly, low-cost testing.
Public and community clinics test everyone; several provide LGBTQ-affirming services.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.