In Linn County, new HIV diagnoses are 47% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or test on a regular schedule in Mount Vernon, Iowa, weigh the trade-offs between free community or public clinics and the faster, more flexible scheduling of private labs. Find your STI testing options below.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Mount Vernon, IA. The nearest, MercyCare, is about 0.7 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.
MercyCare in Mount Vernon tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, rapid HIV, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB, and treats bacterial STIs the same visit. Fees run on a sliding scale, with Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance all accepted. An appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Linn County Public Health Department in Cedar Rapids runs entirely without charge: free HIV testing, free hepatitis C testing, and a sliding-scale fee structure covering the full panel of gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB, with Medicaid and insurance also accepted. Appointments are required.
Every test, vaccine, and treatment at Linn County Public Health runs at no cost to the patient. That means PrEP, hepatitis C treatment, TB treatment, and STI treatment all sit at the same price point as the initial test, zero, so a positive result doesn't open a second financial conversation.
Linn County Public Health provides interpretation services for non-English languages across all appointments. Because care here spans medication adherence counseling, PrEP initiation, and TB and hepatitis C treatment, having interpretation present at the clinical level, not arranged separately, keeps complex medication instructions and follow-up timelines accurate from the start.
When prevention medication isn't available at the clinic handling your testing, the gap between a conversation about risk and an actual PrEP prescription can stretch across multiple appointments at separate providers. Linn County Public Health carries both PrEP and PEP on-site in Cedar Rapids, and even covers PrEP costs for uninsured patients, closing that gap before it opens.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Eastern Iowa Health Center Pharmacy & Walk-in Care, in Cedar Rapids, ties STI screening fees directly to household income. No one is turned away because of cost. Walk-in appointments mean same-day access to syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing without scheduling ahead.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Eastern Iowa Health Center in Cedar Rapids runs appointments for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and HIV testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and sliding-scale fees for everyone. Including care delivered in Spanish.
Beyond the standard gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV screen, Eastern Iowa Health Center tests for herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C in a single appointment. That wider scope means chronic viral infections aren't left to a separate visit or a separate provider.
Spanish-language care at Eastern Iowa Health Center isn't routed through a separate intake: it's one of the clinic's operating languages, meaning clinical conversations, counseling, and education on prevention and medication adherence happen directly in Spanish.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
A safety-net federally qualified health center · Title X family-planning grantee about 13 miles from Mount Vernon. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
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 less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Mount Vernon, 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 Linn 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.
788 8th Avenue Southeast, Suite 100, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
CMS-certified lab
1911 First Avenue Southeast, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Showing the nearest 2 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Mount Vernon. 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, 334 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Mount Vernon. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 76 offer telehealth.
Todd Pentico, MD
Family medicine · 310 Hwy 1 Southeast, Mt Vernon
Sarah Thomas, MD
Family medicine · 510 West Main St A, Solon
Kristin Gisselman, DO
Family medicine · 3933 Mount Vernon Road Southeast, Cedar Rapids
Emily Guerber, MD
Family medicine · 2996 7th Avenue, Marion
Natalie Hempy, MD
Family medicine · 2992 7th Avenue, Marion
Keri Mounce, MD
Family medicine · 777 76th Ave Drive Southwest, Cedar Rapids
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 Mount Vernon, IA 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.
Gbank Health
0.4 miMt. Vernon Pharmacy
0.4 miCR Pharmacy Service
0.4 miCarepro Pharmacy
0.4 miTowncrest Pharmacy
9.2 mi
10 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Mount Vernon, IA.
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 Mount Vernon, 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 Linn County, the county that includes Mount Vernon, compare with Iowa and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~38% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#11 of 99 Iowa counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 89% of the state
| Infection | Linn County | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 513.6 1,176 cases ▲ 20% | 426.8 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 163.3 374 cases ▲ 40% | 116.8 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 11.4 26 cases ▲ 11% | 10.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 3.9 9 cases ▼ 58% | 9.2 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 7 16 cases ▼ 29% | 9.9 | 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 Linn County, chlamydia has fallen from 542.8 to 513.6 per 100,000 (5%), gonorrhea has fallen from 248.4 to 163.3 per 100,000 (34%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 6.5 to 11.4 per 100,000 (75%).
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 Linn County.
Local HIV snapshot
Linn County HIV care continuum (2023)
Linn County recorded 7.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 5.1 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Linn County residents living with HIV, 91.4% are in care · 88.7% 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 Linn County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
State Highway 1 threads through Mount Vernon as both its spine and its daily rhythm, and the households along it tend to be larger, rooted ones, where health decisions often get weighed collectively rather than on impulse. With more than two-thirds of residents owning their homes and an average household running well above two people, this is a community where someone getting screened is rarely making that choice in isolation; a partner's schedule, shared transportation, or a busy family week all factor in. That household depth makes accessible options genuinely useful. Typical rents here are modest, and nearly a third of households clear six-figure incomes, but a low unemployment figure also means most adults are actively working, which compresses the hours available for any appointment that isn't close or convenient.
For young adults in their late teens and twenties, a substantial share of this community, the ability to fit a test into an already-full week, rather than carving out a separate effort, is what makes screening something that actually happens. Linn County's STI figures give residents real context for why staying current matters. For someone living here, that county-level picture isn't abstract: it's the local baseline, and routine testing is simply how you know where you stand within it.
Getting there
At 4.56/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Mount Vernon 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 52314 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 52314 area around Mount Vernon: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Mount Vernon alone.
Mount Vernon sits in Linn County, ZIP 52314. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Mount Vernon? 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 Linn County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Iowa 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 Mount Vernon-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 Mount Vernon 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 Iowa 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 Iowa, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own; a parent may be notified only in the case of a positive HIV test result.
Iowa 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 IowaSource: 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, Solon, IA is close; compare it by distance against MercyCare.
Most plans cover STD screening; a clinic or lab can bill insurance, or you can pay a flat self-pay price.
Yes, Linn County Public Health Department (12.4 mi) offers free testing, and public clinics serve the uninsured.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 514 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the Iowa average.
In Iowa, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
Syphilis is found with a simple blood test; a reactive screen is confirmed with a second blood test.
A retest around 3 months after treatment is recommended for chlamydia and gonorrhea.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.