New HIV diagnoses in Oktibbeha County run about 30% higher than the US average. If you're starting a new relationship or managing ongoing care in Mississippi State, Mississippi, weigh your options: clinics may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while many private labs let you pay a flat self-pay price. See below for local options.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Mississippi State, MS. The nearest, Golden Triangle Urgent Care, is about 0.9 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 Mississippi State. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Greater Meridian Health Clinic in Starkville runs on scheduled appointments, so a confirmed slot means a full visit covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, rapid and conventional HIV, herpes, and hepatitis A, B, and C testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs and sliding-scale fees for all. Care is delivered in Spanish.
Spanish-language care at Greater Meridian is a direct clinical capacity: counseling, results, and treatment conversations happen in Spanish without a handoff to another provider. That means a Spanish-speaking patient's full scope of care, from herpes testing to hepatitis vaccination, unfolds in a single consistent clinical relationship.
Greater Meridian offers substance-use treatment as a standing service alongside STI care, which means a patient managing both doesn't need to coordinate between separate providers. Follow-through on treatment plans for either condition happens within the same practice.
Testing at Greater Meridian covers herpes and hepatitis A, B, and C in addition to gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV. A broader panel that surfaces infections whose presence can directly shape STI treatment decisions and vaccination eligibility in the same appointment.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
North Mississippi Health Services in Starkville pairs same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis) with testing across a full panel, on a sliding-scale fee accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Appointments are required, and Spanish-language care is available on-site.
Plenty of clinics test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, and stop there, leaving herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C to a separate appointment somewhere else. North Mississippi Health Services runs all of those on the same panel, so a single visit surfaces what a narrower screen would miss.
North Mississippi Health Services prescribes PrEP and PEP directly, with the clinical monitoring (baseline HIV and kidney-function testing, follow-up labs, medication management) handled by staff here. That means ongoing PrEP users have a single prescribing relationship rather than a fragmented one split across providers.
When a language barrier means a patient can't fully absorb a diagnosis or treatment plan, the real cost is an infection that goes unmanaged or a follow-up that never happens. At North Mississippi Health Services in Starkville, Spanish-language care is built into the clinical encounter itself, so nothing gets lost between the test result and the treatment.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 3 miles from Mississippi State. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Five Horizons Health Services in Starkville tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and herpes. With rapid HIV results on a sliding-scale fee that bottoms out at zero. Appointments are required, and bacterial infections are treated the same day.
Five Horizons provides all of its services at no fee, which means the same visit that delivers a rapid HIV result can also start PrEP, administer an HPV vaccine, and close with STI treatment, without a single line-item cost separating any of it.
Many testing sites hand off a positive HIV result with nothing more than next steps on paper. Five Horizons, backed by Ryan White funding, carries HIV care from initial testing through sustained medical treatment. The same clinic manages what comes after diagnosis, not a separate provider.
As a Title X-designated program, Five Horizons is legally required to keep family planning services for minors confidential. A federal protection, not a policy preference, that applies to the clinic's full range of Title X care.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
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 Mississippi State, 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 Oktibbeha 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.
305 Carver Drive, Starkville, MS 39759
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
104 Doctors Park, Starkville, MS 39759
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
100 Medical Park Drive, Starkville, MS 39759
CMS-certified lab
360 Hardy Road, Mississippi State, MS 39762
CMS-certified lab
1207 Hwy 182 West, Starkville, MS 39759
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 Mississippi State. 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, 90 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Mississippi State. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 7 offer telehealth.
Ava Stegall, DO
Family medicine · 302 Hospital Road, Starkville
Katrina Poe, MD
Family medicine · 360 Hardy Road, Mississippi State
Kenneth Thomas, MD
Urology · 100 Wilburn Way, Starkville
Corey Brown, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 400 Hospital Road, Starkville
Thomas Pearson, MD
OB-GYN · 400 Hospital Road, Starkville
Harry Holliday, MD
Internal medicine · 107 Brandon Road, Starkville
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 Mississippi State, MS 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.
Longest Student Health Center Pharmacy
0.2 mi
1.1 mi BJ's Family Pharmacy
1.3 miSouthern Family Market
1.5 mi
1.6 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Mississippi State, MS.
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 Mississippi State, 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
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 Oktibbeha County, the county that includes Mississippi State, compare with Mississippi and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~100% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#39 of 82 Mississippi counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 52% of the state
| Infection | Oktibbeha County | Mississippi | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 683.6 350 cases ▼ 2% | 700.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 273.4 140 cases ▲ 9% | 251.1 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 41 21 cases ▲ 36% | 30.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 23.4 12 cases ▲ 44% | 16.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 43 22 cases ▼ 34% | 64.8 | 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 Oktibbeha County, chlamydia has fallen from 1006 to 683.6 per 100,000 (32%), gonorrhea has fallen from 436.4 to 273.4 per 100,000 (37%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 32.8 to 41 per 100,000 (25%).
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 Oktibbeha County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Mississippi 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.
Oktibbeha County HIV care continuum (2023)
Oktibbeha County recorded 17.8 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 21.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Oktibbeha County residents living with HIV, 80% are in care · 68.9% 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 Oktibbeha County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Along Martin Luther King, Junior Drive East, where most residents rent rather than own and fewer than one in five holds a deed, life in Mississippi State runs on a rhythm shaped almost entirely by the academic calendar. With married adults making up a sliver of the population and households averaging around three people, this is a city of roommates, shared leases, and relationships still being figured out. Exactly the life stage when routine screening tends to fall off the agenda entirely. That reality matters because virtually the entire population falls within the years when STI transmission is most active, and Oktibbeha County's rates reflect it.
Two facts compound the picture: a very high share of households reporting strong incomes alongside one of the highest unemployment figures you'd find in any comparably sized place, suggesting that income here is concentrated and uneven, and that many residents are balancing tight personal budgets against a $1,100-plus monthly rent. A clinic visit that costs time or money a person doesn't have rarely makes the shortlist. For anyone without a vehicle on a cramped schedule, that physical distance is the concrete thing standing between knowing and not knowing, and it's worth solving before a semester slips by.
Getting there
At 6.26/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Mississippi State 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 39759 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 39759 area around Mississippi State: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Mississippi State alone.
Mississippi State sits in Oktibbeha County, ZIP 39759. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Mississippi State? 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 Oktibbeha County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Mississippi 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 Mississippi State-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 Mississippi State 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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Mississippi 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 MississippiSource: 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.
Five Horizons Health Services, about 3.2 mi away, provides free testing.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Oktibbeha County reported ~684 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Mississippi average.
In Mississippi, 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.
Get treated, notify partners, pause sex until cleared, and follow up, the infection is manageable.
Reassuring if you tested after the window, just retest if it was early, and screen again with new partners.
Often, yes, especially throat and rectal infections, which is why site-specific testing matters.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.