STD Testing in Southside, AR: Free, Same-Day & Confidential
In Independence County, reported gonorrhea runs about 80% lower than the US average: whether it's your first STI test or routine screening in Southside, Arkansas, you'll find that community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. Here are some local options.
8 testing options are listed for Southside, AR. The nearest, White River Health Family Care, is about 0.8 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
No ratings yet
Address
3443 Harrison Street, Batesville, AR 72501 4.2 miles away
Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
Community health center 0.8 miles
White River Health Family Care
4.8(5)?
Review sources
Google4
EasySTD1
Rated 4.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews
Appointments are required at White River Health Family Care in Batesville, so scheduling ahead means arriving to a visit that covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and rapid HIV testing, same-visit bacterial treatment, and HPV, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B vaccination on a sliding-scale fee.
ARcare, a community health center in Batesville, folds STI testing into primary care (rapid and conventional HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and all three hepatitides) on a sliding-scale fee with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections. Appointments required.
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Non-English Care Handled Without Routing Around It
Many clinics leave non-English speakers to navigate sensitive conversations through a speakerphone handed across a desk. ARcare in Batesville carries interpretation services directly into the clinical encounter, so the exchange between patient and provider stays intact. Not filtered through a separate call.
PrEP and PEP Prescribed Directly at ARcare
ARcare holds both PrEP and PEP in its formulary, including coverage for uninsured patients seeking PrEP. That means the prescription, the follow-up labs, and the ongoing monitoring all stay within the same practice. No hand-off to a separate prescriber.
Hepatitis C Diagnosed and Treated at the Same Address
Plenty of testing sites confirm a hepatitis C antibody and stop there, leaving patients to track down a specialist for treatment. ARcare in Batesville carries antiviral treatment on-site, so a positive result moves directly toward a prescription rather than a referral to another provider.
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages
Tests offered
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis B
TB
Gonorrhea
Syphilis
Herpes
Chlamydia
Rapid HIV
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
TB Treatment
STI Treatment
Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV)
HIV/AIDS Medical Treatment
Hepatitis C Treatment
Hepatitis B Treatment
Hepatitis A Vaccine
Adult Hepatitis B Vaccine
Prevention services
TB Prevention/Education
STI Prevention/Education
HIV/AIDS Prevention/Education
HIV Test Counseling
Hepatitis Prevention/Education
Condom Distribution
Fees & payment
Medicaid Accepted
PrEP for uninsured
Fee
Insurance Accepted
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Community health center 3.5 miles
Access Medical Clinic Arkansas
4.9(234)?
Review sources
Google229
EasySTD5
Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 234 reviews
A safety-net rural health clinic about 4 miles from Southside. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Address
1583 South Saint Louis St Suite B, Batesville, AR 72501
A safety-net rural health clinic about 4 miles from Southside. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
A community safety-net rural health clinic about 4 miles from Southside. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Address
1700 Harrison St Suite North, Batesville, AR 72501
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 Southside, 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 Southside, AR
Beyond the public testing sites above, these federally certified (CLIA) labs serve Independence 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.
Showing 5 of the CLIA-certified labs in Independence County.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Southside. 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 Southside, AR who may help arrange STD testing
Beyond dedicated clinics, 76 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Southside. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 4 offer telehealth.
RW
Robert Walton, MD
Internal medicine · 1217 Batesville Boulevard, Southside
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 Southside, AR
Compare the pharmacies closest to Southside, AR. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Southside, AR.
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 Southside, 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.
Online treatment
Nurx
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
STDs & HIV in Independence County: the local picture
How reported STI rates in Independence County, the county that includes Southside, compare with Arkansas 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.
#45
#45 of 75 Arkansas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 40% of the state
Reported STD rates per 100,000, Independence County vs Arkansas vs U.S.
Independence CountyArkansasU.S.▲▼ = Independence County vs the state average
Infection
Independence County
Arkansas
United States
Chlamydia
354.9136 cases▼ 39%
579.6
492.2
Gonorrhea
36.514 cases▼ 81%
193.4
179.5
Syphilis (P&S)
5.22 cases▼ 82%
29.2
15.8
Syphilis (early)
10.44 cases▼ 40%
17.3
16
Syphilis (late/unknown)
135 cases▼ 73%
48
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 Independence County over time (per 100,000)
Chlamydia ▲ 0% vs 2022
Chlamydia Gonorrhea Syphilis (P&S)
Between 2020 and 2023 in Independence County, chlamydia has fallen from 416.5 to 354.9 per 100,000 (15%), gonorrhea has fallen from 142.3 to 36.5 per 100,000 (74%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 2.6 to 5.2 per 100,000 (100%).
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 Southside, AR
Adults uninsured
12.4%
No routine checkup
21.4%
No transportation
10%
Binge drinking
14.6%
Frequent mental distress
19.4%
Depression
25.9%
Below poverty line
21.2%
Primary-care ratio
1,301 : 1
Independence County
Primary-care shortage score 18 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 46.8
Social Vulnerability Index · 82nd 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 Independence County.
Local HIV snapshot
HIV in Independence County (2023)
Federal priority area: Arkansas 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.
People living with HIV
50 / 100k
New diagnoses (2023)
5cases countywide
PrEP users / 100k
44 · PnR 2.8
Independence County HIV care continuum (2023)
Independence County recorded 15.7 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 11.8 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Independence County residents living with HIV, 31.3% are in care · 25% 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 Independence 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 →
Batesville Boulevard stretches through the area with the quiet confidence of a place where most households own rather than rent, and those who do rent here pay among the more modest rates in the region, a fact that shapes the financial calculus around discretionary health spending in ways that cut both directions. A community where homeownership runs deep tends to read as stable, and in many ways Southside is, with a low unemployment rate and households that skew toward married couples with children under the same roof. But stability at the household level doesn't mean everyone has flexible time or a clear path to a clinic; with labor-force participation sitting below the majority threshold, schedules here are shaped by caregiving, part-time work, and lives that don't always center on a nine-to-five.
For young adults still navigating relationships and building routines, that drive is the real variable: whether it happens depends on whether an appointment feels reachable on a given week, not just in principle. With roughly a quarter of residents in the highest-incidence years for STIs, the profile here makes accessible, low-cost screening genuinely consequential, and US 167 connects Southside to whatever that nearest appointment turns out to be.
Getting there
How residents reach STD testing in Southside, AR
Walkability7.25 / 20 · Below average
At 7.25/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Southside 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 72501 snapshot
Residents
25,988
Median age
38.7
Median income
$53,796
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 72501 area around Southside: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Southside alone.
Southside sits in Independence County, ZIP 72501. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Batesville Commercial Historic District
Batesville Confederate Monument
Allen Hill
Ramsey Hill
Egner Hill
Kennedy Park
Major routes
US 167 (Batesville Boulevard)
Heber Springs Road
Nearby cities & towns
STD testing near Southside, AR
Just outside Southside? These nearby communities have their own testing guides: clinics, at-home kits, and free screening close to home.
STD testing in Southside, AR: screening, costs & privacy
Everything to know before you test in Independence County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Arkansas 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 Southside-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 Southside 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 ArkansasMinor consent and partner treatment (EPT) under state law, plus how to test privately
Two things that actually depend on Arkansas 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 Arkansas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Can my partner be treated too? (EPT)
Arkansas 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.
