Syphilis in Calhoun County is reported at a much lower rate than the U.S. average. Whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind in Port Lavaca, Texas, you can weigh your options: visit a clinic for provider support, or use an at-home kit for convenience when mailing samples in.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Port Lavaca, TX. The nearest, Jackson County Hospital District, is about 24.3 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 public safety-net rural health clinic about 24 miles from Port Lavaca. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
DeTar Healthcare System in Victoria tests for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, treating bacterial infections the same visit; fees are charged on a sliding scale with insurance accepted, and an appointment is required.
PrEP at DeTar isn't a prescription handed off to a primary care stranger: the clinic's own providers write it, track the required HIV and kidney-function labs, and adjust dosing over time. PEP is similarly staffed in-house, with follow-up built into the same system.
The standard STI panel at most clinics stops at four infections and leaves hepatitis to a separate referral chain. DeTar tests for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, and treats hepatitis B on-site rather than handing that diagnosis off.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A safety-net rural health clinic about 26 miles from Port Lavaca. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Community Health Centers of South Central Texas in Victoria operates on a sliding scale and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, making the standard panel (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV) financially reachable across income levels. Appointments are required.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Crossroads Virology in Victoria tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, treating bacterial infections the same visit, with fees on a sliding scale accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Appointments required. Care is delivered in Spanish.
Crossroads Virology staffs Spanish-language care directly into clinical encounters: prescriptions explained, adherence counseling conducted, and medication monitoring discussed in Spanish by the people doing the work, not patched in from outside the room.
Without Ryan White funding, HIV-positive patients who can't afford ongoing care often cycle between a diagnosis and an unmet treatment plan. Crossroads Virology uses Ryan White to carry eligible patients from initial testing through sustained HIV medical treatment and medication adherence counseling, with costs scaled to income.
Leaving a clinic with only a test result and no prevention prescription means another appointment, another provider, and time that erodes the value of acting early. Crossroads Virology prescribes PrEP, PEP, and DoxyPEP directly, keeping prevention and testing in the same clinical relationship.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
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 24 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Port Lavaca, 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 value: single tests
$49 & 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 Calhoun 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.
815 Virginia North Street, Port Lavaca, TX 77979
CMS-certified lab
1016 North Virginia Street, Port Lavaca, TX 77979
CMS-certified lab
1200 North Virginia, Port Lavaca, TX 77979
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Port Lavaca. 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, 103 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Port Lavaca. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 14 offer telehealth.
Carl Caroe, MD
Family medicine · 815 North Virginia Street, Port Lavaca, TX
Joseph Jenkins, DO
Family medicine · 815 North Virginia Street, Port Lavaca, TX
Mercedes Schultz, MD
OB-GYN · 815 North Virginia Street, Port Lavaca, TX
Richard Arroyo-Diaz, MD
Internal medicine · 1016 North Virginia Street, Port Lavaca, TX
Leigh Falcon, MD
Internal medicine · 1200 North Virginia Street, Port Lavaca, TX
Asif Kabani, MD
Internal medicine · 1013 B South Wells Street, Edna, TX
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 Port Lavaca, 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.
Medicine Man Pharmacy-Port Lavaca
0.5 miSteven A. Branch
0.5 mi
0.6 mi 
0.6 mi 
1.0 mi Rogers Pharmacy
24 miShowing the 6 closest pharmacies to Port Lavaca, 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 Port Lavaca, 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
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions 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 Calhoun County, the county that includes Port Lavaca, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~30% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#126 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 50% of the state
| Infection | Calhoun County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 299.6 59 cases ▼ 39% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 71.1 14 cases ▼ 60% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 5.1 1 cases ▼ 66% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 5.1 1 cases ▼ 81% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 5.1 1 cases ▼ 88% | 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 Calhoun County, chlamydia has fallen from 492.4 to 299.6 per 100,000 (39%), gonorrhea has fallen from 79.6 to 71.1 per 100,000 (11%), and P&S syphilis has held roughly steady from 5.1 to 5.1 per 100,000.
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 Calhoun County.
Local HIV snapshot
Calhoun County HIV care continuum (2022)
Calhoun County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Calhoun County residents living with HIV, 82.1% are in care · 57.1% 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 Calhoun County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Around Tilley Park, mornings run early: shift schedules at the plants and docks along the bay mean a lot of Port Lavaca households are out the door before eight and back well after the sun's dropped behind Lavaca Bay Causeway. With most families here settled into owned homes rather than shuffling between rentals, the rhythm of the week tends to be fixed weeks in advance, work hours, kids' schedules, church on Sunday, leaving little room for anything unplanned, including a clinic visit that has to happen "sometime this month."
That matters because adults in their twenties and early thirties, who make up a real slice of this town, are also the ones most likely to be squeezing a personal errand between a shift change and picking someone up. When average household size runs above three, coordinating a weekday appointment often means coordinating around somebody else's schedule too. A test that requires taking a half day off, or one that only runs during standard business hours, is easy to keep postponing, not because anyone's careless about it, but because the calendar is already full.
The practical fix is picking a testing option that runs outside the standard nine-to-five, early morning, evening, or weekend, rather than trying to carve time out of a workday that starts before most clinics open. If you're near Bayfront Peninsula Park, take a look at what's open before or after your shift, and book the slot that fits the schedule you actually have this week.
Getting there
At 8.47/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Port Lavaca 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 77979 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 77979 area around Port Lavaca: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Port Lavaca alone.
Port Lavaca sits in Calhoun County, ZIP 77979. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Port Lavaca? 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 Calhoun 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 Port Lavaca-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 Port Lavaca 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.
Some clinics and labs take walk-ins for same-day testing; call ahead to confirm hours.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Public clinics nearby offer free HIV testing.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 300 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Texas average.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Public health clinics, family-planning clinics, and many school or campus health centers test teens and young adults, often free.
That's a myth; STIs need sexual contact to spread, not surfaces.
Community health centers and family-planning clinics serve all patients, and many offer LGBTQ-affirming care, ask the site directly.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.