In Shasta County, about 42 syphilis cases per 100,000 residents are reported, well above the US average. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Palo Cedro, California, consider what kind of payment you prefer: clinics may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while many private labs let you pay a flat self-pay price. Find options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Palo Cedro, CA. The nearest, Labcorp, is about 0.8 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.
Women's Health Specialists in Redding weaves STI testing into dedicated women's health practice, covering HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis B on a sliding-scale fee with no appointment required, same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, and Spanish-language care on staff.
Women's Health Specialists carries Spanish-language services and broader interpretation for other languages directly into appointments, which means questions about symptoms, treatment plans, and follow-up schedules get answered in the same visit, without a communication gap stalling next steps.
Federal Title X designation makes confidential services for minors a legal guarantee at Women's Health Specialists, not a clinic-by-clinic policy call: meaning a younger patient's test results, treatment, and family planning care are protected by statute.
Women's Health Specialists tests for herpes and hepatitis B in addition to HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, so a single visit can surface infections that a narrower panel would leave undetected and unaddressed.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Hill Country Community Clinic in Redding welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federally qualified status anchors its sliding-scale fee structure, pegging costs to income. A single visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, making same-day screening straightforward for anyone who walks through the door.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Hill Country Community Clinic - Mistletoe, in Redding, carries federal qualification that anchors its sliding-scale fee structure. Meaning what you pay is tied to income, not a fixed price. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
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 Palo Cedro, 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 Shasta 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.
2175 Rosaline Avenue, Redding, CA 96001
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
2900 Eureka Way, Redding, CA 96001
CMS-certified lab
43563 State Hwy 299 East, Fall River Mills, CA 96028
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Palo Cedro. 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, 110 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Palo Cedro. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 20 offer telehealth.
Rodney Swenson, DO
Family medicine · 9461 Deschutes Road, Palo Cedro
John Nepomuceno, MD
Family medicine · 2801 Wilson Avenue, Redding
Emily Patterson, DO
Family medicine · 3270 Churn Creek Road, Redding
Calista Vinyard, DO
Family medicine · 1201 Industrial Street, Redding
Abduselam Barre, MD
Family medicine · 1355 East Street, Redding
Laura Brusett, MD
Family medicine · 3400 Knighton Road, Redding
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 Palo Cedro, CA 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.
Palo Cedro Pharmacy
0.3 mi
0.6 mi Foothill Pharmacy
0.6 mi
6.1 mi Showing the 4 closest pharmacies to Palo Cedro, CA.
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 Palo Cedro, 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
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
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions 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 Shasta County, the county that includes Palo Cedro, compare with California and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~19% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#40 of 58 California counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 31% of the state
| Infection | Shasta County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 287.2 518 cases ▼ 42% | 491.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 100.4 181 cases ▼ 47% | 190.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 42.1 76 cases ▲ 158% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 9.4 17 cases ▼ 51% | 19.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 29.4 53 cases ▼ 37% | 46.7 | 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 Shasta County, chlamydia has fallen from 347 to 287.2 per 100,000 (17%), gonorrhea has fallen from 203.7 to 100.4 per 100,000 (51%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 59.8 to 42.1 per 100,000 (30%).
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 Shasta County.
Local HIV snapshot
Shasta County HIV care continuum (2023)
Shasta County recorded 7.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.9 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Shasta County residents living with HIV, 86% are in care · 75.4% 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 Shasta County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Palo Cedro's name recalls the cedar trees that once dominated the landscape here in Shasta County, and the town has kept that connection to stability and continuity: many residents own their homes, raise families across generations under the same roof, and build lives that span decades. That rootedness shapes how people approach health care: they know their doctors, they value discretion, and they expect to stay in the same place long enough for preventive care to matter. Young adults in Palo Cedro, those in their late teens through thirties, have particular reason to make STI screening routine. Confidential testing in and around Palo Cedro gives them a straightforward way to check their status without fanfare, whether they're starting a new relationship, managing an existing one, or simply staying informed.
The clinics and providers listed on this page understand that a test taken quietly, with results that remain private, often feels less like a health crisis and more like ordinary self-awareness. For families and multigenerational households, knowing where to access discreet screening means one less health decision that requires complicated explanation or negotiation. Testing available in the area reflects the reality that sexual health matters at every age and stage, and that the choice to get screened, alone or with a partner, deserves the same straightforward respect as any other medical visit.
Getting there
At 5.87/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Palo Cedro 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 96073 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 96073 area around Palo Cedro: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Palo Cedro alone.
Palo Cedro sits in Shasta County, ZIP 96073. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Palo Cedro? 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 Shasta County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under California 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 Palo Cedro-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 Palo Cedro 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 California 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 California, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
California 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 CaliforniaSource: 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 Labcorp (0.8 mi); 7 options are within 30 miles.
Public clinics are free; private labs ~$24–$139, at-home kits $49+.
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 287 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the California average.
In California, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
It's cured with antibiotics; treating partners together prevents reinfection.
The CDC doesn't advise routine herpes testing without symptoms; if you have a sore, a swab of it is the most accurate test.
It depends: a blood draw covers HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis, while urine or a swab covers chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Yes, test after the window period, and if HIV exposure is a concern, ask about PEP within 72 hours.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.