Cambria County has a gonorrhea rate that is 71% below the US average. If you're in Portage, Pennsylvania, with recent risk or just need regular testing, consider your choice of location type: clinics might bill your insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, while private labs usually let you pay a flat price. See the list below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Portage, PA. The nearest, Primary Health Network, is about 7.0 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.
Primary Health Network in Ebensburg runs on a sliding-scale fee structure open to anyone, with insurance also accepted. Appointments are required, and the clinic tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis C, and TB, with same-visit treatment available for bacterial infections.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 7 miles from Portage. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Pennsylvania Department of Health in Johnstown pairs same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis) with testing on a sliding-scale fee open to everyone; appointments are required, and services extend in Spanish.
Spanish-language services run through clinical conversations, not just intake: meaning a patient navigating a new diagnosis or starting PrEP can work through the details in Spanish at every step, reducing the gap between what's said and what's understood.
The clinic holds standing capacity to prescribe both PrEP and PEP: useful for anyone who pays out of pocket, lacks a primary care relationship, or simply needs prevention management in one place without coordinating across multiple providers.
Beyond HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis, the panel here covers hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Two infections that share transmission routes with the standard four but often get screened separately, if at all, elsewhere.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Sep 2025 · 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 7 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Portage, 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.
Also in the area
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Cambria 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.
320 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Johnstown, PA 15901
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
88 Osborne Street, Johnstown, PA 15905
CMS-certified lab
337 Somerset Street, Johnstown, PA 15901
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Portage. 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, 341 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Portage. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 70 offer telehealth.
Amina Shikara, MD
Family medicine · 3670 Portage Street, Portage
Choodmani Aryal, MD
Family medicine · 823 2nd Street, Cresson
Susan Lightbourn, MD
Internal medicine · 4501 Admiral Peary Highway, Ebensburg
Enrique Koh, MD
Family medicine · 861 Hills Plz, Ebensburg
Harpreet Mahal, MD
Family medicine · 861 Hills Plz, Ebensburg
Stephanie Young, DO
Family medicine · 171 Lovell Avenue, Ebensburg
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 Portage, PA 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.
0.1 mi Summit Care Pharmacy
6.7 miJames Drug Store
6.9 miMainline Pharmacy Central
7.0 miShowing the 4 closest pharmacies to Portage, PA.
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 Portage, 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.
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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
Visit from $0 insured
Telehealth STI treatment and sexual-health care, delivered or 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 Cambria County, the county that includes Portage, compare with Pennsylvania and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~21% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#21 of 67 Pennsylvania counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 69% of the state
| Infection | Cambria County | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 266.3 348 cases ▼ 37% | 421.2 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 52 68 cases ▼ 64% | 144.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 3.1 4 cases ▼ 66% | 9.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 6.1 8 cases ▼ 41% | 10.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 2.3 3 cases ▼ 80% | 11.4 | 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 Cambria County, chlamydia has risen from 249.5 to 266.3 per 100,000 (7%), gonorrhea has risen from 50.2 to 52 per 100,000 (4%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 2.2 to 3.1 per 100,000 (41%).
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 Cambria County.
Local HIV snapshot
Cambria County HIV care continuum (2022)
Cambria County recorded 7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2022), against 8.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Cambria County residents living with HIV, 57.2% are in care · 47.1% 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 Cambria County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
STD testing in Portage means looking beyond the immediate borough for most visits. The town's modest size and modest costs of living draw people who stay put, yet that same stability means the healthcare infrastructure skews toward basic care closer to home. Young adults in their late teens through thirties, a real presence here, often find themselves driving to nearby larger centers for confidential screening, which is worth the trip when you need results you can trust and privacy you can count on. What makes testing accessible in and around Portage is less about walking distance and more about knowing where to go. The providers and clinics listed on this page include resources within reasonable reach, though the nearest full-service sexual health clinic may sit outside the borough proper.
That distance is real; it's also the trade-off many Portage residents accept for affordability and the kind of long-term rootedness the community offers. Confidentiality here works straightforwardly: your test results are yours alone, shared only with you and your doctor. In a town where families have lived for generations and neighbors recognize each other, that boundary matters. Scheduling ahead and choosing a location slightly removed can add another layer of ease to what should be a routine, unremarkable decision.
Getting there
At 6.9/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Portage 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 15946 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 15946 area around Portage: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Portage alone.
Portage sits in Cambria County, ZIP 15946. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Portage? 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 Cambria County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Pennsylvania 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 Portage-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 Portage 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Pennsylvania 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 PennsylvaniaSource: 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.
6 testing options are within 30 miles of Portage, PA.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Yes, public clinics in the area offer free or low-cost 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 266 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Pennsylvania average.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
In Pennsylvania, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
Yes, from a reputable lab, confirm any positive with a clinician for treatment.
Yes, most chlamydia infections cause no symptoms, so screening is the only reliable way to catch it.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.