There are about 37% more new HIV diagnoses in McLennan County than the U.S. average. You may need testing in Waco, Texas, whether you have been exposed or as part of routine care. A clinic visit allows for on-the-spot care and treatment, while an at-home kit lets you choose when to collect a sample. Options are listed below.
Available testing centers
12 testing options are listed for Waco, TX. The nearest, Waco Family Medicine - MacArthur, is about 0.6 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.
Waco Family Medicine – MacArthur, in Waco, earned federal qualification as a community health center, which means its STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is available on a sliding-scale fee tied to income, so cost adjusts to what each patient can actually pay.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Waco Family Medicine – Madison Cooper, in Waco, earned its federal health center designation by committing to serve patients regardless of their ability to pay: sliding-scale fees adjust to income, keeping syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening within reach for cash-paying patients, those between providers, or anyone navigating coverage gaps.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Waco Family Medicine schedules appointments for STI testing (gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and conventional HIV) and folds STI and TB treatment, family planning, and hepatitis A and B vaccines into the same visit, with fees on a sliding scale accepted alongside Medicaid, Medicare, and most insurance.
Waco Family Medicine delivers care in Spanish, which means clinical conversations (symptom history, treatment instructions, follow-up planning) happen in the same language from check-in through discharge, without anything lost between steps.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN + HRSA
Coryell Health in Waco covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and TB, treating bacterial infections the same visit when results warrant it: sliding-scale fees apply, and walk-ins are welcome.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jul 2025 · Source: CDC NPIN
Waco-McLennan County Public Health District runs appointments for gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and rapid or conventional HIV testing, with same-visit treatment for bacterial infections, HPV and hepatitis vaccines, and partner notification. Every service extended at no fee.
For anyone managing care without a regular provider or paying entirely out of pocket, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District covers testing, treatment, vaccines, and counseling without charging for any of it. No line item, no cost at checkout regardless of what the visit requires.
For someone whose primary language is Spanish, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District delivers services (counseling, treatment decisions, prevention education) directly in Spanish, so nothing clinical gets filtered or simplified in translation.
Ryan White Program funding at Waco-McLennan County Public Health District extends the continuum from HIV testing through ongoing HIV management, meaning a positive result doesn't end the clinic's role. Care continues here rather than being handed off elsewhere.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas in Waco requires an appointment and covers gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, herpes, and rapid or conventional HIV testing on a sliding-scale fee with insurance accepted; same-visit treatment is available for bacterial infections, with PrEP, PEP, and HPV vaccination also on-site.
Spanish is available as a direct service language at this Waco clinic, not a routed add-on. For other languages, interpretation services are structured into the appointment: meaning clinical information, medication instructions, and prevention counseling are exchanged in the language that carries actual precision for that patient.
Title X designation means the clinic operates under federally mandated confidentiality rules, for minors specifically, that protection is legally enforceable, not a matter of staff discretion. Family planning services, STI testing, and counseling provided to younger patients are shielded from disclosure to third parties by the terms of the program itself.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas carries both PrEP and PEP as standing clinical services: useful for anyone without a primary care provider who can prescribe HIV prevention medication, or for someone paying out of pocket who needs sliding-scale access to the drugs themselves rather than just a recommendation toward them.
Languages
English, Interpretation Services Available for Non-English Languages, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Feb 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Waco Family Medicine – Imperial Drive, in Waco, earned its federal qualification by meeting strict community-health standards, which means sliding-scale STI screening priced to your income, no appointment needed. Walk in for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing in a single visit.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Waco Family Medicine – Tom Oliver S. 18th, in Waco, carries full federal qualification as a community health center, which means STI screening (syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia) is priced on a sliding scale tied to each patient's income, keeping costs proportionate rather than fixed.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
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 Waco, 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 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 McLennan 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.
7125 Sanger Avenue,Suite D, Waco, TX 76712
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
7125 Sanger Avenue, Suite East, Waco, TX 76712
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
6901 Medical Parkway, Waco, TX 76712
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
3101 Woodway Drive, Waco, TX 76712
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
6901 Medical Parkway,Nursing Administration, Waco, TX 76712
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Waco. 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, 233 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Waco. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 49 offer telehealth.
Eric Chudej, MD
Family medicine · 2201 Macarthur Drive, Waco
Benjamin Perry, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 2201 Macarthur Drive, Waco
Aman Shah, MD
Family medicine · 50 Hillcrest Medical Boulevard, Waco
Heather Derington, DO Telehealth
Family medicine · 50 Hillcrest Medical Boulevard, Waco
Shirley Jones, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 120 Hillcrest Medical Boulevard, Waco
Twiladawn Lovett, MD
Internal medicine · 3600 South Loop, Robinson
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 Waco, TX 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.
Phrmacy Plus
0.6 mi
1.5 mi 
1.7 mi 
1.8 mi Showing the 4 closest pharmacies to Waco, TX.
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 Waco, 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 McLennan County, the county that includes Waco, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~38% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#14 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 94% of the state
| Infection | McLennan County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 637.4 1,712 cases ▲ 30% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 202.5 544 cases ▲ 15% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 14.5 39 cases ▼ 3% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 18.2 49 cases ▼ 31% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 24.2 65 cases ▼ 45% | 44.3 | 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 McLennan County, chlamydia has fallen from 779.8 to 637.4 per 100,000 (18%), gonorrhea has fallen from 402.2 to 202.5 per 100,000 (50%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 11.5 to 14.5 per 100,000 (26%).
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 McLennan County.
Local HIV snapshot
McLennan County HIV care continuum (2023)
McLennan County recorded 18.8 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among McLennan County residents living with HIV, 79.5% are in care · 69.8% 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 McLennan County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Waco's homeownership numbers tell a reassuring story (stable neighborhoods, modest prices, roots put down) but underneath that surface, more than half of residents rent, and at typical rents that still leave real budget pressure when you stack utilities, groceries, and a car against them. That economic squeeze is exactly why the cost structure of testing clinics matters here, not as an abstract point but as the thing that decides whether someone on Lake Shore Drive actually books the appointment or quietly files it away. The city's younger adults, people in their late teens and twenties who are in the peak years for STI transmission, make up a notably large share of Waco's population, and many of them live in households that are larger than average and often non-married, which typically means shared costs and schedules that don't bend easily.
With labor-force participation well below national norms and unemployment running real, free or sliding-scale options aren't a courtesy; they're the functional difference between a clinic visit and a skipped one. A reality that makes hours and locations worth checking before you go. A Saturday slot or an evening window near Cameron Park can flip what feels logistically impossible into something that actually fits a working week in McLennan County.
Getting there
At 7.83/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Waco 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.
Waco sits in McLennan County. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Waco? 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 McLennan County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Texas 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 Waco-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 Waco 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 Texas 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 Texas, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Texas 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 TexasSource: 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, Hewitt, TX is close; compare it by distance against Waco Family Medicine - MacArthur.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Yes, Waco-McLennan County Public Health District (3.1 mi) offers free testing, and public clinics serve the uninsured.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 637 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), above the Texas average.
PrEP (HIV-prevention medicine for HIV-negative people) is available locally, any provider can prescribe it.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
HPV and hepatitis B vaccines prevent those infections, ask a provider if you're due.
Yes, pelvic or lower-belly pain can be a sign of untreated chlamydia or gonorrhea spreading, so see a provider and test.
Checking for sexually transmitted infections with a urine sample, a swab, or a blood draw, often before any symptoms appear.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.