Shelby County has reported syphilis running about 32% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or simply want to test on a regular schedule in Meadowbrook, Alabama, community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results. Here are some options to consider.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Meadowbrook, AL. The nearest, Labcorp at Walgreens, is about 2.4 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.
Lyons Primary Care in Birmingham accepts Medicaid and private insurance, with a fee schedule for others, and runs a panel spanning HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, plus TB: by appointment, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and HPV and hepatitis vaccines on-site. Services are available in Tagalog.
Lyons Primary Care delivers care in Tagalog, meaning clinical conversations (about symptoms, treatment, and next steps) happen in that language without any layer in between. The result is that nothing gets simplified or deferred because of how it had to be communicated.
The panel at Lyons Primary Care includes herpes and hepatitis A, B, and C alongside the core four bacterial STIs and HIV. infections in a single appointment. Catching hepatitis C, in particular, enables on-site management of an infection that often goes undetected without explicit testing.
Languages
English, Tagalog
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Alabama Pregnancy Test Center in Birmingham charges nothing for any service it provides: gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV testing all carry no fee, with HIV test counseling included. An appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Alabama Regional Medical Services in Birmingham runs entirely on a no-fee model, testing for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB on a sliding scale with Medicaid and insurance accepted: walk-ins welcome, and bacterial STIs treated the same visit.
The clinic's funding structure covers services at the point of care: meaning the bill is settled through sliding-scale adjustments, Medicaid billing, insurance, and direct program support before any individual is asked to pay. Nothing is deferred to a separate billing cycle or collected at the door.
Spanish is available directly at Alabama Regional Medical Services, alongside interpretation services for other languages, which means clinical conversations about medications, follow-up schedules, and treatment plans happen in the language the provider and patient can both work in, without routing through a separate scheduling step.
Alabama Regional Medical Services carries standing capacity to prescribe and monitor PrEP, useful for anyone without a regular primary-care provider or paying out of pocket who needs the medication managed in one place. PEP is available as well, handled within the same clinical setting that does the underlying STI panel.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Magic City Wellness Center in Birmingham tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. With every service provided at no fee. The sliding-scale covers all, bacterial infections are treated same visit, and appointments are required.
Plenty of clinics absorb HIV testing costs but bill for treatment, counseling, or the broader panel. At Magic City Wellness Center, the fee structure doesn't shift depending on which service you need: testing, treatment, and prevention all come at no cost.
Magic City Wellness Center prescribes all three current prevention medications: PrEP for ongoing HIV protection, PEP for post-exposure HIV management, and DoxyPEP for bacterial STI prevention after potential exposure. Each requires its own clinical protocol (different dosing windows, monitoring schedules, and follow-up) and the center handles all of it directly.
A basic STI panel stops at gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Leaving hepatitis unaddressed unless a patient pursues separate testing elsewhere. Magic City Wellness Center folds hepatitis B and hepatitis C into the same visit, so a single appointment covers both viral hepatitis strains alongside the full bacterial and HIV panel.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Jefferson County Department of Health in Birmingham operates STI care through a public health infrastructure, covering the full bacterial and viral panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis A, B, and C, TB, and rapid or conventional HIV) with sliding-scale fees and same-visit bacterial treatment, all at no cost.
Sliding scale here bottoms out at nothing: HIV testing, STI treatment, PrEP, DoxyPEP, hepatitis C treatment, and every vaccine on the roster carry no charge. That structure means the full scope of care is available without cost as a ceiling that stops a visit short.
Interpretation services for non-English languages are available at Jefferson County Department of Health in Birmingham, which means a patient's history, treatment instructions, and prevention counseling land accurately in the visit itself. Not summarized after the fact.
PrEP and PEP appear on many clinic lists, but DoxyPEP, the post-exposure antibiotic protocol for bacterial STIs, is far less common. Jefferson County Department of Health in Birmingham prescribes all three, giving patients a prevention toolkit that covers HIV exposure, ongoing HIV risk, and bacterial STI exposure from a single appointment.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
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 about 2 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Meadowbrook, 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 Shelby 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.
7131 Cahaba Valley Road, Birmingham, AL 35242
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
220 Doug Baker Blvd Suite 100, Birmingham, AL 35242
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
4600 Highway 280 East, Birmingham, AL 35242
CMS-certified lab
One Inverness Center Parkway, Suite 210, Birmingham, AL 35242
CMS-certified lab
1940 Stonegate Drive, Suite 130, Vestavia Hills, AL 35242
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Meadowbrook. 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, 882 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Meadowbrook. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 188 offer telehealth.
John Derzis, DO
Internal medicine · 5244 Birdsong Road, Birmingham
Antonio Gonzalez Ruiz, MD
OB-GYN · 4902 Valleydale Road, Birmingham
Amy Illescas, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 10 Meadowview Drive, Hoover
David Wilhelm, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 101 Missionary Rdg, Birmingham
Eeman Tariq, MD
Internal medicine · 4000 Eagle Point Corporate Drive, Birmingham
Steven Winiarski, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 1401 Doug Baker Boulevard, Hoover
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 Meadowbrook, AL 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.
Magic City Pharmacy
1.5 miBruno's Pharmacy
1.8 mi
1.9 mi 
2.0 mi 
2.0 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Meadowbrook, AL.
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 Meadowbrook, 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 Shelby County, the county that includes Meadowbrook, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~24% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#58 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 13% of the state
| Infection | Shelby County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 293.6 684 cases ▼ 55% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 81.1 189 cases ▼ 64% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 10.7 25 cases ▼ 63% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 11.2 26 cases ▼ 45% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 9 21 cases ▼ 63% | 24.5 | 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 Shelby County, chlamydia has risen from 273.5 to 293.6 per 100,000 (7%), gonorrhea has fallen from 96.4 to 81.1 per 100,000 (16%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.6 to 10.7 per 100,000 (197%).
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 Shelby County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Alabama 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.
Shelby County HIV care continuum (2023)
Shelby County recorded 7.6 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Shelby County residents living with HIV, 73.9% are in care · 54.7% 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 Shelby County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
US Highway 280 connects Meadowbrook to the broader metro, and for most residents a clinic visit means getting on it, since the options listed here serve areas in and around the city rather than sitting at the end of a neighborhood street. That drive is worth planning around, particularly for people in their late teens and twenties, who account for a meaningful slice of the local population and face the steepest STI rates nationally during those years of relationship formation. What shapes that calculation is the economic texture of Meadowbrook itself. Nearly six in ten households clear six figures annually, and the vast majority of residents own their homes, many of them in established pockets like Meadow Ridge or Inverness Cliffs.
That stability can make a scheduled clinic visit easier to absorb financially, but it can also make it easier to defer, because nothing feels urgent when life is settled and calendars are full. Households here average more than three people, and nearly two-thirds of adults are married, which means testing often involves coordinating around partners, children, and shared commitments rather than fitting into an individual's solo schedule. For couples and families in communities like Woodford or Riverwood, routine screening is simply one item in a household that runs on coordination.
Getting there
At 7.39/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Meadowbrook 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 35242 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 35242 area around Meadowbrook: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Meadowbrook alone.
Meadowbrook sits in Shelby County, ZIP 35242. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Meadowbrook? 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 Shelby County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Alabama 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 Meadowbrook-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 Meadowbrook 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 Alabama 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 Alabama, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Alabama 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 AlabamaSource: 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.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it, and public clinics are free either way.
Alabama Pregnancy Test Center, about 6 mi away, provides free testing.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Shelby County reported ~294 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Alabama average.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Reputable kits use the same lab methods as clinics; any positive should be confirmed and treated by a provider.
Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems, caught early, it's cured with antibiotics.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.