In Caldwell County, reported gonorrhea runs about 39% lower than the US average. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Martindale, Texas, weigh the pros and cons of visiting a clinic for immediate support against the convenience of an at-home kit. Options follow.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Martindale, TX. The nearest, Clinical Pathology Labs, is about 6.5 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.
CommuniCare Health Centers - San Marcos, a federally qualified health center in San Marcos, welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. A single visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, with fees adjusted on a sliding scale tied to household income.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Community Action Incorporated of Central Texas in San Marcos charges on a sliding scale with Medicaid accepted, keeping gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing within reach across income levels. Appointments are required, and STI treatment is available alongside counseling.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jun 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Community Health Centers of South Central Texas in Lockhart is a community health center where STI care (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections) runs on a sliding-scale fee accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. An appointment is required.
Spanish functions as a complete care language at Community Health Centers of South Central not a supplemental accommodation. Clinical conversations, counseling, and HIV test results are handled directly in Spanish by staff, so nothing in the exchange depends on translation after the fact.
Languages
English, Spanish
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 about 7 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Martindale, 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 Caldwell 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.
200 Memorial Drive, Luling, TX 78648
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
130 Hays Street, Luling, TX 78648
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Martindale. 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, 659 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Martindale. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 239 offer telehealth.
Alan Lee, MD
Family medicine · 1605 Redwood Road, San Marcos
David Schneider, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1601 Redwood Road, San Marcos
Donald Willis, MD
Urology · 1601 Redwood Rd A, San Marcos
Mariel Bagley, MD
Family medicine · 1430 North Ih, San Marcos
Stephen Richardson, MD
Family medicine · 401 Broadway Street, San Marcos
Merin Varghese, DO
Family medicine · 1340 Wonder World Drive, San Marcos
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 Martindale, 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.
5.4 mi Thorpe Lane Pharmacy
5.8 mi
6.0 mi 
6.0 mi Medpark Pharmacy
6.5 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Martindale, 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 Martindale, 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
$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
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 Caldwell County, the county that includes Martindale, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~23% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#54 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 79% of the state
| Infection | Caldwell County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 449.3 224 cases ▼ 9% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 110.3 55 cases ▼ 37% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 8 4 cases ▼ 47% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 28.1 14 cases ▲ 6% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 28.1 14 cases ▼ 37% | 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 Caldwell County, chlamydia has risen from 374.9 to 449.3 per 100,000 (20%), gonorrhea has fallen from 111.2 to 110.3 per 100,000 (1%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 4.4 to 8 per 100,000 (82%).
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 Caldwell County.
Local HIV snapshot
Caldwell County HIV care continuum (2023)
Caldwell County recorded 12 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Caldwell County residents living with HIV, 81.4% are in care · 76.5% 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 Caldwell County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
TX 142 cuts through a Martindale where most households own their homes outright and carry mortgage payments tied to values well below the state average, a cost-of-living floor that stretches paychecks, even as roughly three in ten residents rent at rates that leave little cushion for unexpected expenses. That affordability balance shapes daily decisions, including health ones: when a copay or lab fee lands in the same week as rent, routine screening tends to wait. The town's workforce is largely employed and anchored: more than half of adults are married, households run close to three people, and the unemployment rate is negligible. That stability is real, but it also means schedules fill fast: work, household, family.
Young adults here in their late teens and twenties are navigating all of that alongside the years when STI transmission rates run highest, and Martindale's near-total car dependency means any testing appointment requires a deliberate trip out along TX 80 toward San Marcos or another surrounding community. The options listed on this page reflect that reality, none sit in town itself. Knowing the nearest clinic's hours before the need arises, and confirming whether sliding-scale fees apply, is the kind of groundwork that makes a drive down TX 80 something you've already planned for.
Getting there
At 3.71/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Martindale 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 78655 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 78655 area around Martindale: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Martindale alone.
Martindale sits in Caldwell County, ZIP 78655. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Martindale? 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 Caldwell 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 Martindale-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 Martindale 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.
Possibly, San Marcos, TX is close; compare it by distance against Clinical Pathology Labs.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Yes, community and public clinics test the uninsured, with sliding-scale fees.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 449 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Texas average.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Roughly 1–2 weeks after exposure gives a dependable gonorrhea result.
Yes, test after the window period, and if HIV exposure is a concern, ask about PEP within 72 hours.
It depends: a blood draw covers HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis, while urine or a swab covers chlamydia and gonorrhea.
There's no cure, but antivirals manage symptoms well and reduce transmission.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.