Penrose, Colorado's Fremont County reported gonorrhea cases are about 87% lower than the US average. Whether you need testing after a possible exposure or as part of routine care, you may choose between local clinics and private labs. Clinics may accept insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, whereas many private labs let you pay a flat self-pay price. The list below shows your options.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Penrose, CO. The nearest, Florence Medical Center, is about 6.8 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.
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 7 miles from Penrose. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A safety-net rural health clinic about 13 miles from Penrose. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A safety-net rural health clinic about 13 miles from Penrose. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
A public safety-net federally qualified health center about 13 miles from Penrose. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Valley-Wide Health Systems in Cañon City tests for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and TB, treating bacterial infections the same visit; fees slide to zero across the board, with appointments required.
All services at Valley-Wide are provided at no charge, which means the cost of a hepatitis C workup, a vaccine, or a treatment course never enters the decision of whether to come back for follow-up care.
Care at Valley-Wide is delivered in Spanish, so clinical conversations (symptom history, treatment plans, vaccination schedules) happen with the precision that direct communication allows.
Valley-Wide treats hepatitis C on-site, meaning a reactive test leads directly to a treatment plan without routing patients to a separate specialist practice or waiting for an external appointment to open.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
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 7 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Penrose, 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.
Local clinicians
Beyond dedicated clinics, 143 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Penrose. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 26 offer telehealth.
Joseph Mcgarry, MD
Family medicine · 501 West 5th Street, Florence
Richard Rivera, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 127 Justice Ctr Rd J, Canon City
Robert Mccurry, DO
Family medicine · 1210 Main Street, Canon City
Robert Weissinger, DO
Family medicine · 1215 Main Street, Canon City
April Goggans, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 1338 Phay Avenue, Canon City
Kela Bergren, MD
Family medicine · 1338 Phay Avenue, Canon 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 Penrose, CO 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.
Fox Drug
5.9 miGenoa Healthcare
10 mi
11 mi Palace Drug East
11 miCity Market Pharmacy
12 mi
12 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Penrose, CO.
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 Penrose, 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
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 $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 Fremont County, the county that includes Penrose, compare with Colorado and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~15% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#35 of 64 Colorado counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 45% of the state
| Infection | Fremont County | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 230.5 116 cases ▼ 47% | 435.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 23.8 12 cases ▼ 82% | 128.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | — no data | 16 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 7.9 4 cases ▼ 24% | 10.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 69.6 35 cases ▲ 145% | 28.4 | 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 Fremont County, chlamydia has fallen from 290.2 to 230.5 per 100,000 (21%), gonorrhea has fallen from 49 to 23.8 per 100,000 (51%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 2 to 10.1 per 100,000 (405%).
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 Fremont County.
Local HIV snapshot
Fremont County HIV care continuum (2023)
Among Fremont County residents living with HIV, 60.8% are in care · 56.9% 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 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 Fremont County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Penrose Park anchors a town where most households own their homes and have for years, that kind of rooted, long-tenure community can make health care feel like something neighbors handle quietly, on their own schedule, without urgency. But roughly one in five households here rents, and with unemployment running meaningfully above typical Colorado levels, a month where an unexpected medical bill lands can genuinely strain a budget. That pressure shapes whether someone books a screening or keeps putting it off. The young adults here, people in their late teens and twenties, face the years when STIs circulate most actively, and Fremont County's rate picture reflects that.
The options listed on this page reach across the region, including sites that accept sliding-scale fees. Worth knowing when cost is a real calculation, not a hypothetical one. With two-thirds of adults here married and households running a couple of people deep, a screening decision often involves a partner, which means the conversation and the logistics are easier when you know exactly what's available and what it costs before you go.
Getting there
At 5.95/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Penrose 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 81240 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 81240 area around Penrose: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Penrose alone.
Penrose sits in Fremont County, ZIP 81240. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Penrose? 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 Fremont County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Colorado 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 Penrose-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 Penrose 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 Colorado 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 Colorado, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Colorado 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 ColoradoSource: 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.
Florence Medical Center, about 6.8 mi away, with 9 options within 30 miles.
Free at public clinics. Private labs run about $24 for one test and $139 for a full panel; at-home kits are $49+.
Valley-Wide Health Systems, about 13 mi away, provides free testing.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Fremont County reported ~231 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Colorado average.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In Colorado, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Untreated chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and fertility problems, caught early, it's cured with antibiotics.
A kit ships to your address; you collect a urine, swab, or finger-stick sample, mail it to the lab, and get results online in a few days.
Often, yes, especially throat and rectal infections, which is why site-specific testing matters.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.