In Etowah County, new HIV diagnoses run about 16% lower than the US average. You may need STI testing in Smith Institute, Alabama, whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind. Community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. Your options are listed below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Smith Institute, AL. The nearest, Quality of Life Health Services, is about 3.4 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.
Quality of Life Health Services in Boaz runs a panel that extends past gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis to include herpes and TB, with same-visit treatment for bacterial STIs confirmed on-site. Sliding-scale fees apply to everyone, and Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance are all accepted. Appointments are required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net rural health clinic about 7 miles from Smith Institute. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Thrive Alabama in Albertville accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and insurance, runs a sliding scale for everyone else, and offers HIV testing free: covering gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis A, B, and C alongside same-visit bacterial treatment, PrEP, and appointments.
Plenty of clinics wrap care in a sliding scale but still leave a line on the bill. At Thrive the scale bottoms out at nothing: testing, treatment, PrEP counseling, and hepatitis care are all provided at no charge, full stop.
Many STI clinics patch together language access after the fact, leaving Spanish speakers navigating care through gaps. Thrive Alabama delivers services directly in Spanish, so the clinical conversation, from test counseling to medication adherence, happens in the language it needs to.
Thrive Alabama operates under Ryan White funding, which means the program sustains HIV care well beyond a single visit. From rapid and conventional testing through antiretroviral treatment and medication adherence counseling, with the federal program underwriting continuity rather than episodic encounters.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 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 3 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Smith Institute, 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 range: couples & full panels
$79 & 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 Etowah 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.
1174 US-431 North, Boaz, AL 35956
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
501 Bay Street, Gadsden, AL 35901
CMS-certified lab
2108 Rainbow Drive, Gadsden, AL 35901
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Smith Institute. 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, 171 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Smith Institute. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 23 offer telehealth.
Angela Clifton, MD
Family medicine · 122 North Snead Street, Boaz
Messalina Jordan, DO
Family medicine · 214 South Mccleskey Street, Boaz
John Boggess, MD
Family medicine · 2508 U South Hwy 431, Boaz
Robert Hargraves, MD
Family medicine · 2512 U South Hwy 431, Boaz
Gary Calhoun, MD
Family medicine · 2505 US Hwy 431, Boaz
Paul Morris, MD
Family medicine · 2505 US Hwy 431, Boaz
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 Smith Institute, AL 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.
5.8 mi Kilpatrick Pharmacy
6.0 miMill Street Pharmacy
6.2 miBoaz Discount Drugs
6.3 miClark's Pharmacy
6.3 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Smith Institute, AL.
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 Smith Institute, 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
$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
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 Etowah County, the county that includes Smith Institute, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~25% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#39 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 42% of the state
| Infection | Etowah County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 465.9 481 cases ▼ 28% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 126.9 131 cases ▼ 44% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 7.7 8 cases ▼ 73% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 14.5 15 cases ▼ 29% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 17.4 18 cases ▼ 29% | 24.5 | 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 Etowah County, chlamydia has fallen from 480.5 to 465.9 per 100,000 (3%), gonorrhea has fallen from 226.2 to 126.9 per 100,000 (44%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 1.9 to 7.7 per 100,000 (305%).
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 Etowah County.
Local HIV snapshot
Federal priority area: Alabama is one of the U.S. jurisdictions prioritized under the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative: targeted federal funding to expand local HIV testing, PrEP, and prevention.
Etowah County HIV care continuum (2023)
Etowah County recorded 11.5 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Etowah County residents living with HIV, 80.1% are in care · 65.4% 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 Etowah County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Stability here runs deep: most households own their homes outright, and a strong majority of adults are married with families sharing the same roof. That kind of rootedness is genuinely good news. Steps that compound quickly for a community where a meaningful share of adults aren't currently in the labor force and household rhythms revolve around school runs and shared schedules. For younger adults in Smith Institute, people in their late teens and twenties navigating new relationships, those logistics land harder than the calm surface suggests.
Etowah County's STI picture gives that age group every reason to treat regular screening as routine, and listed options on this page means the coverage exists. With nearly half of households earning well above the regional median, cost is rarely the sticking point; distance and schedule are. Knowing which clinic opens early, stays open late, or accepts walk-ins matters more than anything else in Smith Institute, and that's exactly what the cards on this page are built to answer.
Getting there
At 4.54/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Smith Institute 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 35956 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 35956 area around Smith Institute: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Smith Institute alone.
Smith Institute sits in Etowah County, ZIP 35956. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Smith Institute? 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 Etowah County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Alabama 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 Smith Institute-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 Smith Institute 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 Alabama 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 Alabama, a minor aged 12 or older can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Alabama 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 AlabamaSource: 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 5 options within a 30-mile drive.
Usually yes, it can be billed to insurance, or paid out of pocket at a flat rate.
Public clinics serve people without insurance, often on a sliding scale.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Etowah County reported ~466 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Alabama average.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Herpes isn't curable, but daily or as-needed antiviral medicine controls outbreaks and lowers the chance of passing it on.
Usually urine or a swab for chlamydia/gonorrhea, and blood for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.