Gonorrhea rates in Dakota County are 49% lower than the national US average. If you live in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, and want to know your STI status whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, your testing options balance cost, speed, and convenience. Explore your options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Mendota Heights, MN. The nearest, United Family Medicine, is about 3.2 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.
United Family Medicine in Saint Paul structures its fees on a sliding scale tied to income, ensuring that cost alone doesn't block care. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening, which covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia through this federally qualified health center.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Allina Health in Eagan tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis A and B, and HIV, treating bacterial infections the same visit when results call for it. Fees run on a sliding scale and appointments are required.
Many clinics offer a phone line when a Spanish-speaking patient needs help, then route the actual care through English. At Allina Health Eagan, Spanish carries through the clinical encounter itself: history, counseling, and treatment without a handoff in the middle.
An STI clinic typically focuses on the infection and stops there, leaving patients to find separate help for substance use. Allina Health Eagan addresses both in the same facility, substance-use treatment is a standing service, not a referral destination.
For anyone without a regular provider who needs a genuinely complete picture (or whose exposure history points beyond gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV) Allina Health Eagan's panel also covers herpes and hepatitis A and B, so a single visit captures the full scope.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Entira Family Clinics in West Saint Paul tests for HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and TB, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, on a sliding-scale fee accepted alongside Medicaid and private insurance, by appointment, with staff fluent in eight languages including American Sign Language.
Entira treats hepatitis C on-site, which means a confirmed diagnosis moves into a treatment plan within the same practice rather than stalling at the handoff point. Patients managing a chronic infection see the same clinical team through the full course of care.
Entira carries both PrEP and PEP as standing clinical services, making it a complete source for HIV prevention medication for anyone without a regular prescribing provider or for those who want prevention integrated into ongoing primary care rather than managed through a separate channel.
Entira delivers care directly in American Sign Language, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Eight languages spoken by staff, not routed through outside services. For a patient discussing PrEP eligibility or a hepatitis C treatment plan, that directness shapes the quality of every clinical exchange.
Languages
American Sign Language, Chinese, English, French, Haitian Creole, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Minnesota Community Care in Saint Paul tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, HIV, hepatitis B and C, and TB. Treating bacterial infections at the same visit. Fees run on a sliding scale accepted by Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurers. Appointments required; Spanish-language care available.
Spanish-language services at Minnesota Community Care aren't routed through a separate channel: clinical staff conduct consultations, counseling, and medication education directly in Spanish. That means prescriptions are explained, adherence plans are built, and follow-up is managed in the same language the clinical conversation started in.
Without Ryan White infrastructure, a positive HIV result can mean weeks between diagnosis and an appointment at a separate specialty clinic. During which treatment doesn't start and costs remain unresolved. Minnesota Community Care's Ryan White funding anchors HIV medical treatment and ongoing care on-site, so the clinical relationship that begins at testing continues straight into management.
Leaving a testing visit without a path to PrEP or PEP means a separate appointment, a separate provider, and time where prevention isn't in place. Minnesota Community Care prescribes and monitors both at the same location where testing happens, keeping the clinical thread unbroken from screening through ongoing prevention.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Open Cities Health Center Ywca Clinic in Saint Paul carries federal qualification that anchors its sliding-scale fees to income, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening reachable for people paying out of pocket, between insurance plans, or simply stretching a tight budget. No appointment needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
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 3 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Mendota Heights, 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 Dakota 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.
991 Sibley Memorial Highway, Lilydale, MN 55118
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
963 South Robert, West Saint Paul, MN 55118
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
234 East Wentworth Avenue, West Saint Paul, MN 55118
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
1880 Livingston Ave Suite 102, West Saint Paul, MN 55118
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Mendota Heights. 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, 2,814 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Mendota Heights. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 1,150 offer telehealth.
Patrick Kemper, MD
Family medicine · 2520 Pilot Knob Road, Mendota Heights
Tamara Fuller Eddins
OB-GYN · 2805 Dodd Road, Eagan
Sarah Lehnert, MD
Family medicine · 2620 Eagan Woods Drive, Eagan
Emily Resch, MD
Internal medicine · 721 Snelling Avenue South, Saint Paul
Niladri Aichbhaumik, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 565 South Snelling Avenue, St Paul
Christofer Smith, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 3305 Central Park Village Drive, Eagan
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 Mendota Heights, MN 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.
0.7 mi D.W.Koski
1.0 miSnyders Drug
1.2 mi
1.5 mi Sterlingrx
1.6 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Mendota Heights, MN.
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 Mendota Heights, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 Dakota County, the county that includes Mendota Heights, compare with Minnesota 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.
#12 of 87 Minnesota counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 86% of the state
| Infection | Dakota County | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 321.6 1,439 cases ▼ 15% | 379.5 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 92.1 412 cases ▼ 32% | 134.5 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 3.8 17 cases ▼ 56% | 8.7 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 3.6 16 cases ▼ 46% | 6.7 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 6.7 30 cases ▼ 54% | 14.7 | 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 Dakota County, chlamydia has fallen from 325.1 to 321.6 per 100,000 (1%), gonorrhea has fallen from 118 to 92.1 per 100,000 (22%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.2 to 3.8 per 100,000 (19%).
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 Dakota County.
Local HIV snapshot
Dakota County HIV care continuum (2023)
Dakota County recorded 5.6 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6.7 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Dakota County residents living with HIV, 76.9% are in care · 64.4% 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 Dakota County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Highland sits at the quieter, residential edge of Mendota Heights, where the vast majority of households are owner-occupied and most adults are partnered and raising families under the same roof. That stability shapes the community's rhythm: two working adults coordinating school pickups, practices, and full calendars along Dodd Road or MN 55 leave little slack for standalone health appointments that require planning around. That schedule reality matters most for the younger adults here, people in their late teens and twenties building relationships and careers, because routine STI screening is the kind of health task that slides when days are already spoken for. With more than half of Mendota Heights households earning well into six figures, cost is less often the barrier than time and proximity.
The options listed on this page address both: same-day slots, telehealth-linked services, and clinics reachable off MN 13 or MN 149 mean a screening visit doesn't demand clearing a half-day. Dakota County's STI picture reinforces why keeping that access close matters. Whatever window opens, whether a lunch hour near West Saint Paul or an early Saturday run down Dodd Road, something on this list fits it.
Getting there
At 9.41/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Mendota Heights 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 55118 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 55118 area around Mendota Heights: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Mendota Heights alone.
Mendota Heights sits in Dakota County, ZIP 55118. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Mendota Heights? 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 Dakota County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Minnesota 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 Mendota Heights-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 Mendota Heights 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Minnesota 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 MinnesotaSource: 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 9 options within a 30-mile drive.
Free at public clinics. Private labs run about $24 for one test and $139 for a full panel; at-home kits are $49+.
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.
Dakota County reported ~322 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Minnesota average.
In Minnesota, 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.
A kit ships to your address; you collect a urine, swab, or finger-stick sample, mail it to the lab, and get results online in a few days.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
It can: too soon and a real infection may not show yet. Retest after the window to be sure.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.