In Matagorda County, reported chlamydia cases run about 24% lower than the US average. If you live in Palacios, Texas for a one-time concern or regular check-ups, you can weigh community or public clinics against private labs, which offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. Below, see your options.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Palacios, TX. The nearest, Palacios Community Medical Center, is about 1.4 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 about 1 mile from Palacios. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Vibrance Health in Bay City requires an appointment, which means your visit is structured around you: the full panel of gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, and HIV testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, HPV and hepatitis A and B vaccines, and family planning, all on a sliding-scale fee.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net federally qualified health center about 25 miles from Palacios. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
MEHOP Administration and Outreach, in Bay City, carries federal qualification as a community health center, which means STI screening costs are tied to what patients actually earn. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, with fees adjusted on a sliding scale regardless of insurance status.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
MEHOP Clinic Administration in Bay City carries federally qualified health center standing, which means sliding-scale fees tied to income apply to STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. No appointment needed to get tested.
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 1 mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Palacios, 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 Matagorda 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.
311 Green Avenue, Palacios, TX 77465
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
1120 Avenue G, Bay City, TX 77414
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 Palacios. 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, 51 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Palacios. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 11 offer telehealth.
Brooke Dorotik, MD
Family medicine · 311 Green Avenue, Palacios
Justin Wong, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 104 7th Street, Bay City
Oladipo Dada, MD
Internal medicine · 104 7th Street, Bay City
Soleyah Groves, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 600 Hospital Circle, Bay City
Demah Alobaidi, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 740 12th Street, Bay City
Bruce Barker, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 2205 Ave K, Bay City
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 Palacios, TX 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.
24 mi 
25 mi Medicine Man Pharmacy-Port Lavaca
25 miSteven A. Branch
25 mi
25 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to Palacios, TX.
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 Palacios, 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
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
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 Matagorda County, the county that includes Palacios, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~24% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#86 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 66% of the state
| Infection | Matagorda County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 374 136 cases ▼ 24% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 85.3 31 cases ▼ 52% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 8.3 3 cases ▼ 45% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 35.8 13 cases ▲ 36% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 33 12 cases ▼ 26% | 44.3 | 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 Matagorda County, chlamydia has risen from 311.7 to 374 per 100,000 (20%), gonorrhea has fallen from 187.6 to 85.3 per 100,000 (55%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 13.8 to 8.3 per 100,000 (40%).
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 Matagorda County.
Local HIV snapshot
Matagorda County HIV care continuum (2023)
Matagorda County recorded 16.9 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Matagorda County residents living with HIV, 70.1% are in care · 55.2% 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 Matagorda County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Along Henderson Avenue, where modest owned homes sit close to the road and nearly a third of residents rent rather than own, daily life in Palacios runs on a tight rhythm. Households here tend to be larger than the national average, and with roughly half of adults married, many people are managing schedules that bend around partners, children, and extended family. Not just themselves. That density of shared life is exactly why routine screening matters quietly in the background rather than as a special occasion.
Most working-age residents here are employed, unemployment is genuinely low, but labor-force participation still leaves a meaningful share of adults outside the traditional nine-to-five structure, whether through seasonal work, caregiving, or part-time arrangements common in a coastal town this size. For younger adults in their late teens and twenties, whose years of forming new relationships coincide with the peak window for STI transmission, layering a clinic visit onto that irregular schedule is less about motivation and more about logistics. They serve residents across this stretch of the Matagorda coast, not just one zip code. Rent around the $759 mark doesn't leave a lot of room for unexpected costs, so knowing which options listed here offer sliding-scale or no-cost visits before you pull onto TX 35 heading out of town is the practical first step.
Getting there
At 7.22/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Palacios 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 77465 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 77465 area around Palacios: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Palacios alone.
Palacios sits in Matagorda County, ZIP 77465. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Palacios? 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 Matagorda County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas 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 Palacios-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 Palacios 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 Texas 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 Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Texas 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 TexasSource: 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 7 options within a 30-mile drive.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
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.
Matagorda County reported ~374 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Texas average.
At-home kits mail to 77465: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
Herpes isn't in standard panels unless you have symptoms, a sore can be swabbed, or a blood test discussed with a provider.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.