STD Testing in Salem, MA: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
Chlamydia is reported 15% less often in Essex County than the national average. If you live in Salem, Massachusetts with a one-time concern about chlamydia or need regular check-ups, you can choose between visiting a clinic to talk with a provider or using an at-home kit for convenience. Either way, you'll find options listed below.
12 testing options are listed for Salem, MA. The nearest, LifeBridge, is about 0.5 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.
Premium Partner
Quest Diagnostics
Most popular Results in 1–2 days
3.1(112)?
Review sources
Google107
EasySTD5
Rated 3.1 out of 5 from 112 reviews
Address
180 Endicott Street, Danvers, MA 01923 3.1 miles away
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Community health center 0.5 miles
LifeBridge
3.6(102)?
Review sources
Google97
EasySTD5
Rated 3.6 out of 5 from 102 reviews
LifeBridge in Salem carries federal qualification that anchors its sliding-scale STI screening to a patient's actual income: meaning syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing is financially within reach across a wide range of budgets, with no appointment needed to get started.
Mayor Jean A. Levesque Community Life Center in Salem adjusts fees to each patient's income, ensuring no one is turned away for cost. Walk-ins are welcome for STI screening covering syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
North Shore Community Health in Salem tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis C, and TB on a sliding-scale basis, with no-fee care available, and treats bacterial infections the same visit; appointments are required.
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Every Service Runs at Zero Cost
North Shore Community Health carries a no-fee option that extends across its entire service list: not just testing but STI treatment, HIV medical management, hepatitis C treatment, PrEP, PEP, and both hepatitis A and HPV vaccines. That single policy means cost never becomes the reason a necessary service goes untouched.
Portuguese and Spanish Staffed Into Clinical Care
Clinical services at North Shore Community Health run in Portuguese and Spanish as primary languages, with additional interpretation available for other languages: meaning dosing instructions, adherence counseling, and treatment decisions happen directly in the language a patient speaks, not filtered through a secondary arrangement.
PrEP and PEP Prescribed Here, Not Coordinated Away
Many clinics that test for HIV stop short of prescribing the drugs that prevent it, leaving patients to track down a separate provider for PrEP or PEP. North Shore Community Health prescribes and manages both on-site, so the clinical relationship that identifies risk is the same one that acts on it.
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Portuguese, Spanish
Tests offered
Hepatitis C
TB
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Chlamydia
Conventional HIV
Serves
Adolescents/Youth/Teens
American Indian or Alaska Native persons
Asian or Pacific Islander persons
Black or African American persons
Gay Men
Hispanic or Latino persons
LGBTQ
Low Income Persons
Care services
Medication Adherence Education and Counseling
Substance Abuse Treatment
STI Treatment
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV)
HIV/AIDS Medical Treatment
Hepatitis C Treatment
Hepatitis A Vaccine
Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine
Prevention services
TB Prevention/Education
STI Prevention/Education
HIV/AIDS Prevention/Education
Hepatitis Prevention/Education
Condom Distribution
Fees & payment
Medicaid Accepted
No Fee
Fee
Insurance Accepted
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Community health center 1.4 miles
Lynn Community HLTH CTR - Wic
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Lynn Community Health Center in Peabody welcomes walk-in patients for STI screening without an appointment. Federally qualified and income-based sliding fees mean syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing are within reach for patients across the income spectrum in a single visit.
North Shore Physicians Group in Peabody covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. With same-visit treatment for bacterial infections confirmed on the spot. Fees run on a sliding scale, and insurance including Medicaid is accepted. Appointments are required.
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Sexual health clinics that test routinely stop short of writing prevention prescriptions, leaving PrEP and PEP to a separate prescriber. North Shore Physicians Group closes that gap: both medications are prescribed on-site, so prevention and testing share the same clinical relationship.
Hepatitis C Diagnosis Carries Through to Treatment
Hepatitis C treatment at North Shore Physicians Group is managed in-house alongside testing, meaning a reactive result doesn't hand off care elsewhere. Direct-acting antivirals, the current standard for hepatitis C, can be initiated and monitored within the same practice, rather than requiring a separate specialist relationship.
Herpes and Hepatitis Expand the Standard Panel
North Shore Physicians Group tests for herpes and both hepatitis B and hepatitis C alongside the core bacterial and HIV panel. Herpes testing in particular is absent from many standard STI panels, making its inclusion here meaningful for anyone whose exposure history warrants it.
Beth Israel Lahey Health in Danvers requires an appointment, and that scheduled visit covers the full panel (HIV (rapid and conventional), syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis A, B, and C, and TB) on a sliding-scale fee, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections and vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B.
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Hepatitis A, B, and C Caught in One Panel
Missing a hepatitis diagnosis means a second appointment at a separate facility, a second round of intake paperwork, and an untreated infection adding weeks to the clock. Beth Israel Lahey Health in Danvers runs hepatitis A, B, and C alongside the standard bacterial and HIV tests in a single draw, closing that gap before it opens.
Hepatitis C Diagnosis Doesn't End the Visit
Many facilities test for hepatitis C and stop there, leaving patients to locate a specialist who handles the treatment side. Beth Israel Lahey Health in Danvers manages hepatitis C treatment on-site, so a confirmed result moves directly into a care plan without sending patients elsewhere.
PrEP Coverage Extended to Uninsured Patients
Both PrEP and PEP are prescribed directly at Beth Israel Lahey Health in Danvers, and the clinic specifically extends PrEP access to uninsured patients. Meaning the drug name on that prescription isn't contingent on having a plan card in your wallet.
Health Quarters in Beverly charges on a sliding scale and accepts Medicaid and most insurance, with appointments required. The panel runs from rapid and conventional HIV to gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis B and C, and same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs. Care is delivered in Spanish.
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Spanish Care Without the Second Appointment
When a clinic can't deliver STI care in Spanish, the cost isn't just inconvenience. It's a postponed diagnosis, a treatment that doesn't get filled, a follow-up that never happens. At Health Quarters, the clinical encounter itself runs in Spanish, so nothing gets deferred to another visit or another provider.
Health Quarters prescribes both PrEP and PEP directly, with coverage for uninsured patients built into its fee structure. PrEP requires ongoing HIV monitoring (that lab work stays at the same clinic, not split across providers) meaning the prescription and the bloodwork that keeps it valid don't get separated.
Herpes and Hepatitis Testing Alongside the Core Panel
For anyone without a regular primary care provider, or paying out of pocket and wanting answers in one appointment, Health Quarters tests for herpes and both hepatitis B and C in addition to HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. That range means a single visit can close questions that a narrower panel would leave open.
Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Site
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Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Site, serving Lynn, carries full FQHC standing. Meaning fees slide with income and no one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-in STI screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia without an appointment required.
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 less than a mile away, if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Salem, 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 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
Quest Diagnostics
$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 Salem, MA
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Essex 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.
North Shore Medical Center Salem
81 Highland Avenue, Salem, MA 01970
CMS-certified labAccredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Salem. 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 Salem, MA who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 4,497 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Salem. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 2,208 offer telehealth.
AK
Alexander Katz, MD
Family medicine · Salem Hospital Medical Staff Office, Salem
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 Salem, MA
Compare the pharmacies closest to Salem, MA. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
0.4 mi
Rx pickupOTC HIV self-testAt-home STI kitsMinuteClinic STI careHPV & Hep B vaccinesCondoms / EC
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 Salem, 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
Mistr
$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 Essex County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Essex County, the county that includes Salem, compare with Massachusetts and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~32% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#4
#4 of 14 Massachusetts counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 71% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Essex County vs Massachusetts vs U.S.
Essex CountyMassachusettsU.S.▲▼ = Essex County vs the state average
Infection
Essex County
Massachusetts
United States
Chlamydia
4193,394 cases▲ 2%
412.7
492.2
Gonorrhea
109.5887 cases▼ 22%
139.8
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
9.980 cases▼ 7%
10.6
15.8
Syphilis (early)
973 cases▼ 13%
10.3
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
13.8112 cases▲ 1%
13.7
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.
Reported STD rates in Essex County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▼ 2% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Essex County, chlamydia has risen from 359.1 to 419 per 100,000 (17%), gonorrhea has risen from 81.9 to 109.5 per 100,000 (34%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 5.1 to 9.9 per 100,000 (94%).
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 Salem, MA
Adults uninsured
5.5%
No routine checkup
19.8%
No transportation
8%
Binge drinking
16.7%
Frequent mental distress
16.4%
Depression
24%
Below poverty line
13.7%
Primary-care ratio
1,350 : 1
Essex County
Primary-care shortage score 21 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 53.9
Social Vulnerability Index · 61st 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 Essex County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Essex County (2023)
People living with HIV
299 / 100k
New diagnoses (2023)
57cases countywide
On PrEP (coverage)
28.9%
Essex County HIV care continuum (2023)
Essex County recorded 8.2 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 8.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Essex County residents living with HIV, 76.5% are in care · 66.1% 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.
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 Essex 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 →
Salem's homeownership rate tells one story (just over half of residents own their homes, suggesting a city with roots and stability) but the renters renting near Downtown Salem District or along Essex Street are carrying monthly payments that leave little cushion for discretionary health spending. That cost pressure is real, and it shapes when and whether people follow through on routine screening. The city's workforce is largely employed and active, which sounds like good news until you map it against clinic hours. Younger adults in their late teens and twenties, who represent Salem's largest share of STI risk by age, are often the same people balancing those erratic hours, high rent relative to wages, and relationships that are still taking shape.
Among Salem's households, fewer than half are married-couple arrangements, meaning many residents are navigating sexual health decisions independently, without a built-in support structure pushing them toward a clinic. The testing options listed here span enough of the city, from the Federal Street District to Peabody, that distance alone rarely has to be the deciding factor. What gets tested, in the end, is often just a matter of which option fits into the week someone is already living.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Salem, MA
Walkability14.14 / 20 · Above average
Salem scores 14.14/20 on the EPA walkability index, so many trips are walkable or a short ride, though a car still gives you the widest choice of testing centers.
Source: EPA National Walkability Index 2021.
ZIP 01970 snapshot
Residents
44,115
Median age
38.4
Median income
$85,189
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 01970 area around Salem: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Salem alone.
Salem sits in Essex County, ZIP 01970. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Ropes Mansion
The Witch House
Nathaniel Bowditch House
Peabody Essex Museum
Fort Pickering Light
Marblehead Light
Neighborhoods & communities
Federal Street District
Charter Street Historic District
Downtown Salem District
Peabody
Vinnin Square
Marblehead
Fish Flake Hill Historic District
Beverly Center Business District
Major routes
MA 107 (Highland Avenue)
Canal Street
Nearby cities & towns
STD testing near Salem, MA
Just outside Salem? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Salem, MA: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Essex County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Massachusetts law. If you have symptoms right now, our confidential symptom checker maps them to the tests worth considering.
Who should test, and whenCDC 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 Salem-area provider.
What each STD test costsMedicare 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 Salem 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 MassachusettsMinor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, a minor may consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own; a provider may inform a parent only if they judge the minor's health to be in serious danger.
Can my partner be treated too? (EPT)
Massachusetts 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.
