Reported syphilis in Schuylkill County runs about 87% lower than the US average. If you've had a recent risk or simply test on a regular schedule in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, consider both community clinics and private labs: weigh your choice based on cost vs speed and scheduling.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Tamaqua, PA. The nearest, Star Community Health-Hometown, is about 1.9 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.
Star Community Health-Hometown, in Tamaqua, earns its federally qualified health center designation partly by tying fees to income, so anyone needing syphilis, gonorrhea, or chlamydia screening pays on a sliding scale rather than a fixed rate, no appointment required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Star Community Health-Lansford, serving Lansford, earns its federally qualified designation by tying STI screening fees directly to income. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing without an appointment required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A community safety-net federally qualified health center about 10 miles from Tamaqua. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Maternal and Family Health Services in Hazleton weaves STI testing (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV) into its family practice model, pairing same-visit bacterial treatment and family planning with fees on a sliding scale. An appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Caring Communities in Hazleton tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and hepatitis B and C, the full panel, on a sliding scale with free HIV and hepatitis C testing available; all services are provided at no fee, and appointments are required.
Sliding-scale clinics typically land somewhere on a cost spectrum, reduced, but rarely free across the board. Caring Communities charges nothing for any service it provides, meaning the panel, treatment, vaccines, and PrEP counseling all carry a zero balance regardless of what brings someone through the door.
Caring Communities delivers STI care, medication counseling, and PrEP management in Spanish as a standing clinical capability. Not as a supplemental accommodation. For someone navigating a new diagnosis or a long-term prevention regimen, reasoning through options in Spanish rather than working across a language gap shapes the quality of every decision made.
Caring Communities prescribes and manages both PrEP, including Truvada, and PEP directly, with medication adherence education built into ongoing care rather than offered once and dropped. That continuity means monitoring, refills, and dosing questions stay with the same clinical team across every visit.
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 2 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Tamaqua, 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 Schuylkill 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.
700 East Norwegian Street, Pottsville, PA 17901
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
700 Schuylkill Manor Road Suite 7, Pottsville, PA 17901
CMS-certified lab
360 West Ruddle Street PO Box 67, Coaldale, PA 18218
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Tamaqua. 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, 814 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Tamaqua. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 380 offer telehealth.
Sebastian Manuel, MD
Internal medicine · 360 West Riddle Street, Coaldale
Peter Sugarbaker, DO
Family medicine · 360 West Riddle Street, Coaldale
Abhay Singh, MD Telehealth
Urology · 120 Pine Street, Tamaqua
Hazem Fahmy, MD
Family medicine · 120 Pine Street, Tamaqua
David Wood, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 137 North Railroad Street, Tamaqua
Rosalee Rehrig, DO
Family medicine · 34 South Railroad Street, Tamaqua
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 Tamaqua, PA 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.
Shafers Pharmacy
1.6 mi
1.8 mi The Medicine Shoppe
1.8 miTamaqaa Drug Store
2.0 miShowing the 4 closest pharmacies to Tamaqua, PA.
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 Tamaqua, 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.
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 Schuylkill County, the county that includes Tamaqua, compare with Pennsylvania and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~24% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#29 of 67 Pennsylvania counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 57% of the state
| Infection | Schuylkill County | Pennsylvania | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 229.5 330 cases ▼ 46% | 421.2 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 43.1 62 cases ▼ 70% | 144.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 2.1 3 cases ▼ 77% | 9.1 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 4.9 7 cases ▼ 52% | 10.3 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 7.7 11 cases ▼ 32% | 11.4 | 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 Schuylkill County, chlamydia has fallen from 244 to 229.5 per 100,000 (6%), gonorrhea has fallen from 55.2 to 43.1 per 100,000 (22%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 3.5 to 2.1 per 100,000 (40%).
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 Schuylkill County.
Local HIV snapshot
Schuylkill County HIV care continuum (2023)
Schuylkill County recorded 6.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 8.3 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Schuylkill County residents living with HIV, 72.3% are in care · 62.1% 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.
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 Schuylkill County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Tamaqua's homeownership majority tells one story, but the four-in-ten residents renting here, often in smaller units off East Broad Street or scattered through the North Ward, tell another. Renters in a town with modest typical rents and low home values tend to move more frequently, share households, and stretch budgets carefully, all of which can quietly deprioritize a clinic visit that feels non-urgent. Add an unemployment rate that leaves a real share of working-age residents outside the steady-income bracket, and the cost and scheduling math around STI screening starts to matter in concrete ways.
That math lands hardest on younger adults, people in their late teens and twenties who make up a meaningful slice of Tamaqua's population and who account for the overwhelming majority of new STI diagnoses statewide. When someone's working variable hours or sharing one vehicle across a household averaging nearly three people, a same-week appointment at a low-cost clinic becomes far more achievable than an open-ended intention. Schuylkill County's STI picture makes routine screening genuinely worthwhile, and the options listed here span enough in hours and fees that most schedules, and most budgets in a town where high earners are the exception, can find a realistic fit.
Getting there
At 7.09/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Tamaqua 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 18252 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 18252 area around Tamaqua: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Tamaqua alone.
Tamaqua sits in Schuylkill County, ZIP 18252. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Tamaqua? 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 Schuylkill County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Pennsylvania 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 Tamaqua-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 Tamaqua 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Pennsylvania 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 PennsylvaniaSource: 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.
Yes, several local labs offer same-day walk-in testing; best to call first.
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.
Schuylkill County reported ~230 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Pennsylvania average.
Yes, PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV in HIV-negative people, is available in the area.
In Pennsylvania, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
At-home kits mail to 18252: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Pregnancy screening is standard; ask about an early-pregnancy STI panel.
Clinics give immediate care and treatment; home kits win on convenience and discretion. Either works.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.