HIV diagnoses in Santa Cruz County run about 55% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or test regularly in Scotts Valley, California, decide if convenience or immediacy is more important. Some locations take walk-ins for same-day testing, while others let you plan around your own time.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Scotts Valley, CA. The nearest, Quest Diagnostics, is about 0.8 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.
North County Mental Health in Santa Cruz earned its federally qualified health center designation partly by making care financially reachable, fees slide with income so cost stays proportional to what patients actually earn. STI screening here covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with no appointment required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency in Santa Cruz runs on a sliding-scale fee structure, with all services available at no cost, and accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance. Walk-ins are welcome for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis C, TB, and conventional HIV testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs.
All services at Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency are provided at no fee, which means PrEP, PEP, vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and mpox, and STI treatment are each available without a charge attached. That includes services that carry a price tag at most fee-for-service clinics.
Spanish-language care at Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency is delivered by Spanish-speaking staff: meaning clinical conversations about PrEP dosing, treatment adherence, and lab follow-up happen directly in Spanish, without an intermediary. That operational reality shapes how care is monitored and maintained over time.
Ryan White funding positions Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency to carry patients from initial HIV testing through ongoing treatment and medication management, a continuous clinical relationship rather than a diagnostic endpoint. For someone without a regular HIV provider or navigating care without insurance, this is a clinic with the infrastructure to stay involved.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Oct 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Pioneer Street Clinic in Santa Cruz carries federally qualified health center status, which means its sliding-scale fees are tied to income: making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening genuinely reachable for cash-paying patients, people between providers, or anyone whose coverage gaps have made routine STI care feel out of reach.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Dignity Health in Santa Cruz accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with sliding-scale fees for those paying directly: covering gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV testing alongside STI, HIV/AIDS, and TB treatment. Appointments are required.
Languages
English, Spanish, Tagalog
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Aug 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Pregnancy Resource Center of Santa Cruz County screens for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis on a sliding-scale fee; Medicaid is accepted, and appointments are required. Bacterial STIs can be treated the same visit.
Services at Pregnancy Resource Center of Santa Cruz County are delivered directly in Spanish, which means clinical details (what a result signals, what a treatment course involves) move between provider and patient without any layer in between. That directness shapes what a patient actually leaves knowing.
The clinic's panel runs a herpes antibody test and hepatitis A, B, and C serology alongside the core bacterial and HIV screens. Meaning a single appointment generates results across six infection categories. Staffing is organized to order and interpret that fuller workup without a separate specialist visit.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Dec 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 less than a mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Scotts Valley, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 Santa Cruz 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.
204 Green Valley Road, Freedom, CA 95019
CMS-certified lab
526 Mclaughlin, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
2025 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Scotts Valley. 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, 2,332 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Scotts Valley. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 1,012 offer telehealth.
Larry Resneck-Sannes, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 5403 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley
Michael Johnson, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 4663 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley
Jeannine Wahl, MD
Family medicine · 5615 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley
Karl Segnitz, MD
Family medicine · 940 Disc Drive, Scotts Valley
Praseeda Moleyar- Narayana, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 223 Mount Hermon Road, Santa Cruz
Hailey Roumimper, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 2980 El Rancho Drive, Santa Cruz
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 Scotts Valley, CA 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.
1.1 mi 
1.1 mi Showing the 2 closest pharmacies to Scotts Valley, CA.
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 Scotts Valley, 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 $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
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 Santa Cruz County, the county that includes Scotts Valley, compare with California and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~20% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#21 of 58 California counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 64% of the state
| Infection | Santa Cruz County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 400.3 1,047 cases ▼ 18% | 491.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 86.8 227 cases ▼ 54% | 190.2 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 18.4 48 cases ▲ 13% | 16.3 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 15.3 40 cases ▼ 20% | 19.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 20.6 54 cases ▼ 56% | 46.7 | 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.
Between 2020 and 2023 in Santa Cruz County, chlamydia has risen from 277.6 to 400.3 per 100,000 (44%), gonorrhea has risen from 78.6 to 86.8 per 100,000 (10%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 13.7 to 18.4 per 100,000 (34%).
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 Santa Cruz County.
Local HIV snapshot
Santa Cruz County HIV care continuum (2023)
Santa Cruz County recorded 6.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 14.9 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Santa Cruz County residents living with HIV, 83.4% are in care · 76% 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 Santa Cruz County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Mount Hermon Road runs through a Scotts Valley where most households own their homes and carry mortgages sized to match property values well north of eight hundred thousand dollars. That kind of financial weight is real even for the majority who earn six figures, and it shapes how people budget time and discretionary spending alike, including whether a routine health appointment feels manageable or gets quietly postponed. That matters because Scotts Valley's young adults, people moving through their late teens and twenties, fall squarely in the years when STI transmission is most active, and Santa Cruz County's STI rate tables on this page reflect that pattern clearly.
With most adults employed and households running at an average of three people, schedules tend to be full. The options listed on this page include twelve testing resources in and around Scotts Valley, and knowing which one fits a lunch break or a Saturday morning, before committing to the drive out on CA 17, is often what determines whether a test actually gets booked.
Getting there
At 8.57/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Scotts Valley 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 95066 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 95066 area around Scotts Valley: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Scotts Valley alone.
Scotts Valley sits in Santa Cruz County, ZIP 95066. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Scotts Valley? 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 Santa Cruz County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under California 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 Scotts Valley-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 Scotts Valley 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 California 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 California, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
California 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 CaliforniaSource: 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.
There are 9 options within a 30-mile drive.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
Yes, free HIV testing is available at public clinics in the area.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Santa Cruz County reported ~400 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the California average.
At-home kits mail to 95066: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
In California, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
Yes, site matters; oral/anal exposure needs a throat or rectal swab, which urine testing won't catch.
Reassuring if you tested after the window, just retest if it was early, and screen again with new partners.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.