Reported chlamydia in Madison County runs about 20% higher than the US average. Before starting a new relationship or as part of ongoing care, you'll find local clinics and private labs for STI testing in Mercury, Alabama. Community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. See your options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Mercury, AL. The nearest, Crestwood Medical Group, 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.
Crestwood Medical Group in Huntsville accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with a fee structure that scales to what patients can pay. The standard panel covers rapid and conventional HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections. By appointment.
Crestwood carries both Truvada/Descovy-class PrEP and PEP within its prescribing scope, meaning the medication, the required HIV and kidney-function monitoring, and prescription renewals are handled by the same clinical team. Continuity in that monitoring schedule is what keeps PrEP medically safe over time.
Many clinics that test for hepatitis C hand off treatment to a specialist elsewhere, leaving patients to navigate a separate system. Crestwood Medical Group carries hepatitis C treatment on-site, so a reactive antibody result moves directly into a treatment plan without changing providers.
The default STI panel at most clinics stops at gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. Hepatitis C requires a separate order that many practices don't routinely offer. At Crestwood, hepatitis C testing is part of the panel, paired with hepatitis A and B vaccination to cover the full spectrum.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Happi Health in Huntsville runs on a sliding-scale fee structure and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, making the cost workable across most situations. Appointments are required, and the panel covers rapid and conventional HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Central North Alabama Health Services, in Huntsville, ties every visit's cost to what a patient actually earns. Federal health center status backs that sliding-scale commitment, ensuring no one is priced out. Syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening are available without an appointment required.
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 Mercury, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Madison 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.
250 Chateau Drive Southwest, Suite 150, Huntsville, AL 35801
CMS-certified lab
2045 Cecil Ashburn Drive, Southeast Suite 201, Huntsville, AL 35802
CMS-certified lab
301 Governor'S Drive, Huntsville, AL 35801
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Mercury. 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, 456 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Mercury. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 84 offer telehealth.
Rinkesh Patel, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 5107 Moores Mill Road, Huntsville
Meera Boppana, MD
Internal medicine · 5107 Moores Mill Road, Huntsville
David James, MD
Family medicine · 46 Shields Road, Huntsville
Muhammad Aly, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1490 Hwy 72 East, Huntsville
Mitul Patel, MD
Internal medicine · 1490 Hwy 72 East, Huntsville
Francis Essien, DO Telehealth
Internal medicine · 131 Edenshire Drive, Huntsville
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 Mercury, 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.
0.8 mi 
1.0 mi Food City Pharmacy
1.0 miNorth Rimm Pharmacy
2.4 mi
3.2 mi 
3.2 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Mercury, 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 Mercury, 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.
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
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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 Madison County, the county that includes Mercury, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~32% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#30 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 55% of the state
| Infection | Madison County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 589.7 2,433 cases ▼ 9% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 236.8 977 cases ▲ 4% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 15 62 cases ▼ 48% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 11.9 49 cases ▼ 42% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 10.2 42 cases ▼ 58% | 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 Madison County, chlamydia has fallen from 649.2 to 589.7 per 100,000 (9%), gonorrhea has fallen from 381 to 236.8 per 100,000 (38%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 9.5 to 15 per 100,000 (58%).
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 Madison 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.
Madison County HIV care continuum (2023)
Madison County recorded 13.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Madison County residents living with HIV, 73.9% are in care · 63.3% 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 Madison County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Mercury's rhythm turns on the trades and the land, construction crews who know the mountain passes, families tending yards on Moores Mill Road, people with stakes in neighborhoods like Bridge's Subdivision who plan to stay. That rootedness means health decisions carry weight. Young adults in Mercury, working their way into careers and partnerships, often need testing that fits quietly into their lives without broadcasting itself through town. Confidentiality here isn't a courtesy; it's a baseline expectation in a place where people recognize faces at the hardware store and the bank.
STI screening in and around Mercury happens at clinics listed on this page, and the straightforward approach matters to residents accustomed to directness and respect. Testing visits are brief, results are yours alone, and the process doesn't require explanation to anyone else. Whether someone's between partners, newly committed, or simply taking routine care of their health, the clinics serving Mercury treat the request as ordinary medical work. Because it is.
The testing sites available locally understand that Mercury's residents value their privacy and their time. Appointments don't linger, staff don't gossip, and a visit for screening is as confidential as a visit for anything else.
Getting there
At 7.3/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Mercury 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 35811 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 35811 area around Mercury: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Mercury alone.
Mercury sits in Madison County, ZIP 35811. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Mercury? 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 Madison 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 Mercury-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 Mercury 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.
The closest is Crestwood Medical Group (3.2 mi); 7 options are within 30 miles.
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 590 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Alabama average.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
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.
Yes, the CDC recommends STI screening early in pregnancy, since untreated infections can affect the baby.
Expedited partner therapy lets a provider treat a partner without an exam, where state law allows.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.