Gonorrhea reports in Bernalillo County run about 46% higher than the US average. If you are in South Valley, New Mexico, whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, choose from clinics that may bill insurance or offer sliding-scale fees, or private labs that let you pay a flat self-pay price.
Available testing centers
12 testing options are listed for South Valley, NM. The nearest, First Choice Community Healthcare, is about 2.6 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.
First Choice Community Healthcare in Albuquerque tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis C, and TB on a sliding-scale fee with Medicaid and Medicare accepted, and all services are provided at no fee, with appointments required.
Fee structures at many clinics still leave patients covering something, a copay tier, a lab charge, a visit minimum. At First Choice Community Healthcare, every service, including testing, treatment, and prevention, is provided at no fee, regardless of insurance status or income.
First Choice Community Healthcare delivers care in Spanish as a standing clinical capability, not a supplement. For someone navigating PrEP decisions, a new diagnosis, or ongoing STI treatment, working through that in Spanish with the provider directly shapes the accuracy of the conversation and the care that follows.
First Choice Community Healthcare prescribes both PrEP and PEP directly, meaning patients leave with a prevention plan and a prescription rather than a separate appointment at a different facility.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
University of New Mexico Health System in Albuquerque requires an appointment, so scheduling ahead is the entry point to a visit that covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis testing, same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccines on a sliding-scale fee.
Strip the typical STI panel down and hepatitis often falls off the list entirely, left to a separate visit or a separate provider. At University of New Mexico Health System, hepatitis A, B, and C testing runs alongside gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV in a single appointment, so the full picture comes back together.
Clinics that serve only English speakers well tend to patch everything else together after the fact. University of New Mexico Health System in Albuquerque provides care in American Sign Language and Spanish, with interpretation services available for other languages, so the conversation about testing, results, and treatment happens in the language a patient uses to make decisions.
Languages
American Sign Language, English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
UNM Health in Albuquerque accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance, with a fee structure tied to coverage, and tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and hepatitis C: appointments required, with same-visit treatment available for bacterial infections and HPV vaccination on-site.
Plenty of clinics handle the clinical part competently and then cobble together something for Spanish-speaking patients, a workaround that puts the burden of comprehension on the patient. At UNM Health, Spanish is a fully delivered care language, meaning the clinical conversation itself happens in Spanish, not around it.
Missing a hepatitis C diagnosis means carrying an infection that, untreated, progresses silently for years, and the cost of that gap compounds. UNM Health tests for hepatitis C alongside the standard bacterial and viral panel, so a single appointment in Albuquerque doesn't leave that piece unresolved.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
A public safety-net federally qualified health center about 6 miles from South Valley. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless runs entirely on a no-fee model, covering HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing alongside TB screening: all free, no appointment required, with same-visit treatment available for bacterial infections and sliding-scale costs that bottom out at zero.
The no-fee structure here isn't a discount program, it's the operational baseline. Testing, STI treatment, PrEP prescribing, PEP, and TB care are all staffed and dispensed directly at the clinic, meaning no cost surfaces at any point in the visit, from the lab draw to the medication.
Services at Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless are delivered in Spanish, which means clinical history, counseling, and prevention education all happen in that language. Keeping the exchange direct and reducing the chance that something gets missed between provider and patient.
Albuquerque Health Care for the Homeless carries standing capacity to prescribe and manage both PrEP and PEP, which makes it a practical option for anyone paying cash or without an established primary care relationship who needs ongoing HIV prevention medication rather than just a test.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
A community safety-net federally qualified health center about 6 miles from South Valley. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Medical Respite Collaborative @ Gateway Center in Albuquerque meets people between stable housing and steady care: those paying out of pocket, without coverage, or navigating gaps in the system. Federal qualification backs its sliding-scale fees, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening genuinely within reach, no appointment needed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Indian Health Service in Albuquerque tests for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, hepatitis C, and TB. Every test and every service at no fee, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections. An appointment is required.
For anyone without insurance, between providers, or simply paying cash, Indian Health Service in Albuquerque removes nothing from the table: PrEP, HIV medical care, hepatitis C treatment, STI treatment, vaccines, family planning, and substance abuse treatment all carry no charge whatsoever. The full scope of care is available regardless of coverage status.
Indian Health Service in Albuquerque prescribes and manages both PrEP and PEP on-site, meaning the clinical work (initial HIV testing, follow-up labs, prescription writing, and ongoing monitoring) happens within the same care relationship rather than across scattered providers. That continuity is part of how the regimen actually holds.
Most clinics deliver a hepatitis C diagnosis and leave the treatment question unanswered, sending patients to find a specialist on their own. Indian Health Service in Albuquerque provides hepatitis C treatment on-site, the care continues past the positive result, within the same clinic, at no fee.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 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 South 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 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 Bernalillo 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.
3436 Isleta Boulevard Southwest, Albuquerque, NM 87105
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
1711 Isleta Boulevard Southwest, Albuquerque, NM 87105
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
1021 Medical Arts Avenue Northeast, Albuquerque, NM 87102
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near South 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, 711 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of South Valley. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 206 offer telehealth.
Juan Soche, MD
Family medicine · 1625 Rio Bravo Boulevard Southwest, Albuquerque
Fernando Arzola, MD
Internal medicine · 3436 Isleta Boulevard Southwest, Albuquerque
Jaron Kee, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 3630 Las Estancias Drive Southwest, Albuquerque
Melvin Romero, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 2901 Transport Street Southeast, Albuquerque
Samir Kassicieh, DO
Family medicine · 1010 Bridge Boulevard Southwest, Albuquerque
Frederick Miller, MD
Family medicine · 1401 William Street Southeast, Albuquerque
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 South Valley, NM 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.
1.2 mi Unm Student Health Center Pharmacy
1.9 mi
2.1 mi Abq Bestcare Pharmacy 3
3.7 mi
3.9 mi Showing the 5 closest pharmacies to South Valley, NM.
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 South 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 $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
$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
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 Bernalillo County, the county that includes South Valley, compare with New Mexico 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.
#2 of 33 New Mexico counties for chlamydia, among the very highest in the state
| Infection | Bernalillo County | New Mexico | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 640.7 4,303 cases ▲ 22% | 523.6 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 261.8 1,758 cases ▲ 55% | 169 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 44.1 296 cases ▲ 20% | 36.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 24.9 167 cases ▲ 38% | 18.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 74.3 499 cases ▼ 3% | 76.6 | 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 Bernalillo County, chlamydia has risen from 595.9 to 640.7 per 100,000 (8%), gonorrhea has fallen from 293.7 to 261.8 per 100,000 (11%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 30.2 to 44.1 per 100,000 (46%).
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 Bernalillo County.
Local HIV snapshot
Bernalillo County HIV care continuum (2023)
Bernalillo County recorded 14.1 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 10.4 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Bernalillo County residents living with HIV, 80.8% are in care · 73.8% 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 Bernalillo County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Arenal and Kinney are the kinds of neighborhoods where extended families share a single address, households run larger than the state average, and a meaningful share of working-age adults are outside the formal labor force entirely. That combination shapes daily life in ways a rate table can't: when roughly four in ten adults aren't in paid employment and unemployment runs higher than most nearby communities, schedules aren't nine-to-five so much as unpredictable, and a clinic visit competes with caregiving, job searching, or gig work rather than a standard lunch break. Against that backdrop, the concentration of younger adults here matters.
People in their late teens and twenties are the years when STIs circulate most actively, and South Valley's share of that group is real. For them especially, options that don't require long lead times or significant out-of-pocket costs are the ones that actually get used. With few households clearing six figures and typical rents low enough to suggest tight overall budgets, even a modest fee can tip the decision.
Getting there
South Valley scores 11.05/20 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 87105 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 87105 area around South Valley: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not South Valley alone.
South Valley sits in Bernalillo County, ZIP 87105. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside South 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 Bernalillo County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under New Mexico 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 South 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 South 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 New Mexico 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 New Mexico, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
New Mexico 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 New MexicoSource: 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.
Possibly, Albuquerque, NM is close; compare it by distance against First Choice Community Healthcare.
Public clinics are free; private labs ~$24–$139, at-home kits $49+.
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 641 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the New Mexico average.
Yes, at-home kits ship to 87105; you collect a sample, mail it back, and get results in about 2–5 days.
In New Mexico, 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.
It depends: a blood draw covers HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis, while urine or a swab covers chlamydia and gonorrhea.
Roughly 3–6 weeks after exposure for a dependable syphilis blood test.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.