Gonorrhea in Cottonwood County runs about 90% lower than the national average. If you've had a recent risk exposure or simply test on a regular schedule in Mountain Lake, Minnesota, then weigh your preferences among cost, speed, and convenience. See your options below.
Available testing centers
6 testing options are listed for Mountain Lake, MN. The nearest, Sanford Health Network, is about 0.3 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 community safety-net rural health clinic in Mountain Lake. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Access Health - Windom welcomes patients without an appointment, so a single walk-in visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening under one sliding-scale fee tied to income. Federal FQHC designation keeps those costs on a graduated scale for anyone who needs it.
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 Mountain Lake, 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 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 Cottonwood 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.
2150 Hospital Drive, Windom, MN 56101
CMS-certified lab
2020 Hospital Dr Suite 1, Windom, MN 56101
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Showing the nearest 2 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Mountain Lake. 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, 37 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Mountain Lake. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 3 offer telehealth.
Andrew Kopperud, MD
Internal medicine · 308 8th Street North, Mountain Lake
Kylie Cowdin, MD
Family medicine · 2020 Hospital Drive, Windom
Stephanie Buhler, MD
Family medicine · 2150 Hospital Drive, Windom
David Springer, MD
Family medicine · 2150 Hospital Drive, Windom
Jeffrey Taber, MD
Family medicine · 2170 Hospital Drive, Windom
James Hinshaw, MD
OB-GYN · 2150 Hospital Drive, Windom
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 Mountain Lake, 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.
Thrifty White
0.2 miPeterson Pharmacy & Gifts
0.2 miShopko Pharmacy 750
10 miHy-Vee Pharmacy(1892)
11 miRetail Lewis Family Drug
11 miSchneider Drug
12 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Mountain Lake, 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 Mountain Lake, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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 Cottonwood County, the county that includes Mountain Lake, compare with Minnesota and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~27% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#77 of 87 Minnesota counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 11% of the state
| Infection | Cottonwood County | Minnesota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 132.5 15 cases ▼ 65% | 379.5 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 17.7 2 cases ▼ 87% | 134.5 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | — no data | 8.7 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | — no data | 6.7 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | — no data | 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 Cottonwood County, chlamydia has fallen from 225.8 to 132.5 per 100,000 (41%), and gonorrhea has fallen from 78.1 to 17.7 per 100,000 (77%).
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 Cottonwood County.
Local HIV snapshot
Cottonwood County HIV care continuum (2023)
Cottonwood County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6.7 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Cottonwood County residents living with HIV, 90% are in care · 70% 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 Cottonwood County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
MN Highway 60 cuts through a Mountain Lake where home values sit well below state norms and typical monthly rent stays modest, but modest doesn't mean effortless when unemployment runs notably high and fewer than six in ten residents are in the labor force. That economic texture shapes daily trade-offs, including whether a screening appointment feels affordable or optional. With a meaningful share of households renting rather than owning, and average household size suggesting multi-person living arrangements, the population here isn't insulated from the pressures that quietly turn routine health care into something people reschedule.
Young adults (people moving through their late teens and twenties, the years when STI rates peak) make up a real portion of Mountain Lake's population, and for them specifically, cost and scheduling predictability matter. The options listed on this page span a range of fees and hours worth comparing before committing to a specific clinic. Cottonwood County's STI picture, visible in the tables above, gives Mountain Lake residents a useful local baseline, and options listed here represent real starting points for acting on it.
Getting there
At 6.5/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Mountain Lake 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 56159 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 56159 area around Mountain Lake: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Mountain Lake alone.
Mountain Lake sits in Cottonwood County, ZIP 56159. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Mountain Lake? 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 Cottonwood 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 Mountain Lake-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 Mountain Lake 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 5 options within a 30-mile drive.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Cottonwood County reported ~133 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.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Herpes isn't curable, but daily or as-needed antiviral medicine controls outbreaks and lowers the chance of passing it on.
Go to an ER or call RAINN (800-656-4673); they provide testing, PEP, and support right away.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.