STD Testing in Penhook, VA: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
Gonorrhea in Franklin County, Virginia runs about 63% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or regularly schedule STI tests, Penhook, Virginia has clinics that may bill insurance or use sliding-scale fees, and also private labs that let you pay a flat self-pay price. Browse your options below.
5 testing options are listed for Penhook, VA. The nearest, Carilion Clinic, is about 12.7 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
How to read these listings
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.
Location unavailable — enter a ZIP code or city instead.
Community health center 12.7 miles
Carilion Clinic
4.1(28)?Where these reviews come from
Review sources
Google25
EasySTD3
Rated 4.1 out of 5 from 28 reviews
Carilion Clinic in Rocky Mount requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead is the move, but that single visit covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB, with bacterial STIs treated the same day on a sliding-scale fee.
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Best for free testing 14.0 miles
Virginia Department of Health
No ratings yet
Virginia Department of Health in Rocky Mount requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead means arriving to a visit that covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and TB: with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, sliding-scale fees, and all services at no cost.
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Every Service Runs on Zero Billing
The no-fee structure at Virginia Department of Health in Rocky Mount is operational, not occasional: staff are funded and authorized to deliver testing, treatment, vaccines, and DoxyPEP counseling without generating a patient bill. No co-pay line, no balance generated at checkout.
Interpretation Services Connect Directly to Clinical Decisions
Interpretation services are available for non-English languages at Virginia Department of Health in Rocky Mount, which means a patient can give a full symptom history and leave with a treatment plan they've actually understood. Not one reconstructed secondhand.
DoxyPEP Is Prescribed Here, Not Deferred Elsewhere
DoxyPEP, the antibiotic regimen taken after potential bacterial STI exposure, often falls outside what a standard clinic will prescribe on-site. Virginia Department of Health in Rocky Mount offers it directly, keeping prevention and testing under the same clinical relationship.
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.
The nearest testing center is about 13 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Penhook, 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
Panel:
8-infection panel incl. chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis, hepatitis & herpes: single tests too
Sample:
Quest Mobile: a phlebotomist collects your sample at home
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
Other CLIA-certified labs near Penhook, VA
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Franklin 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.
Blue Ridge Cancer Care
390 South Main Street - Suite 103, Rocky Mount, VA 24151
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Penhook. 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
Clinicians near Penhook, VA who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 309 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Penhook. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 67 offer telehealth.
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
Pharmacies near Penhook, VA
No pharmacy near Penhook, VA 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.
Directory records identify nearby pharmacies. Service, stock, price, and hours information is shown only when supported by current location-specific evidence.
Prevention & treatment
PrEP, prevention & online treatment
Testing is one step. For residents of Penhook, 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.
PrEP & DoxyPEP
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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
STDs & HIV in Franklin County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Franklin County, the county that includes Penhook, compare with Virginia and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~23% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#95
#95 of 133 Virginia counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 29% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Franklin County vs Virginia vs U.S.
Franklin CountyVirginiaU.S.▲▼ = Franklin County vs the state average
Infection
Franklin County
Virginia
United States
Chlamydia
225125 cases▼ 52%
472.8
492.2
Gonorrhea
66.637 cases▼ 58%
158.3
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
5.43 cases▼ 50%
10.7
15.8
Syphilis (early)
5.43 cases▼ 43%
9.5
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
7.24 cases▼ 54%
15.8
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.
Reported STD rates in Franklin County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▼ 6% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Franklin County, chlamydia has fallen from 282.7 to 225 per 100,000 (20%), gonorrhea has fallen from 97.3 to 66.6 per 100,000 (32%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 3.7 to 5.4 per 100,000 (46%).
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
What shapes testing access in and around Penhook, VA
Adults uninsured
8.6%
No routine checkup
17.5%
No transportation
7.4%
Binge drinking
12.4%
Frequent mental distress
16%
Depression
23.1%
Below poverty line
4.5%
Primary-care ratio
2,891 : 1
Franklin County
Primary-care shortage score 16 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 57.7
Social Vulnerability Index · 32nd percentile nationally
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 Franklin County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Franklin County (2023)
People living with HIV
136 / 100k
PrEP users / 100k
80
Franklin County HIV care continuum (2021)
Franklin County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2021), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Franklin County residents living with HIV, 74.2% are in care · 69.4% 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.
Pregnant or planning to be?
Congenital syphilis is the fastest-rising STI: what to test, and when
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 Franklin County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines → (opens in a new tab)
Highland Lake and The Waters Edge draw many of Penhook's younger adults into households that already look settled, partnered, often homeowning, rooted along the quiet stretches off VA 40. That stability can make routine health maintenance feel less urgent, something to schedule when life slows down, which it rarely does in a community where just over half of residents are in the workforce and many juggle irregular or seasonal rhythms around the lake economy. Two facts about Penhook's profile matter here. Homeownership is unusually high, which means a large share of younger residents have financial stakes that make them feel established, and less likely to treat sexual health screening as a pressing errand. At the same time, with more than a quarter of households clearing six figures, cost is less often the barrier than sheer logistics: Penhook has no sidewalks, no transit, and no downtown block to duck into between errands.
That last point shapes everything about how testing actually gets done here. The options listed on this page require a deliberate drive: out past the Penhook State Boat Ramp, along Old Franklin Turnpike, and into the next town. For people in their late teens and twenties still building health habits, that distance means a same-day impulse becomes a scheduled trip, and a scheduled trip has to be planned around a car, a free afternoon, and a clinic's open hours. All three, at once.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Penhook, VA
Walkability4.7 / 20 · Least walkable
At 4.7/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Penhook 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 24137 snapshot
Residents
2,695
Median age
59.4
Median income
$66,250
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 24137 area around Penhook: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Penhook alone.
Penhook sits in Franklin County, ZIP 24137. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Penhook State Boat Ramp
Greer Knob
Scruggs Boat Launch
Neighborhoods & communities
Arrowhead
The Waters Edge
Paynes
The Coves
Highland Lake
Arrowhead No 2
The Hillside
Lakeshore
Major routes
VA 40 (Old Franklin Turnpike)
Nearby cities & towns
Nearby cities and towns near Penhook, VA
Just outside Penhook? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Penhook, VA: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Franklin County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Virginia law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Who should test, and when
CDC screening schedule + each infection's detection window
Who should get tested, and how often
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
When to test: STD detection windows
Testing too early can return a false negative, confirm timing with a Penhook-area provider.
Medicare reference prices per lab test, a benchmark before you pay out of pocket
These are the federal Medicare reference prices for processing each lab test. Public clinics and the community health centers serving Penhook 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.
Confidentiality & consent in Virginia
Minor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on Virginia 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).
Can a minor consent on their own?
In Virginia, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Can my partner be treated too? (EPT)
Virginia 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.
