Gonorrhea in Clay County is about 57% lower than the US average. If you live in Watts Crossroads, Alabama, and are wondering whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind, consider that community and public clinics are often low-cost or free, while private labs tend to offer faster results and more flexible scheduling. See the options listed below.
Available testing centers
6 testing options are listed for Watts Crossroads, AL. The nearest, Clay Quality Health Care, is about 7.8 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.
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A safety-net federally qualified health center about 8 miles from Watts Crossroads. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
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Quality of Life Health Services, a community health center in Ashland, weaves STI testing into its broader primary care structure: meaning gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, and herpes testing sit alongside family planning and treatment on a sliding-scale fee, by appointment.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
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Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
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Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
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Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
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Today's offer: $10 off any test panel, applied automatically at checkout.
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 |
|---|
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. Widen the distance or clear the service-type filter.
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 8 miles away, if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Watts Crossroads, 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
$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 Clay 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.
83825 Highway 9, 1st Floor South Hall, Ashland, AL 36251
CMS-certified lab
83745 Highway 9, Ashland, AL 36251
CMS-certified lab
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Watts Crossroads. 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, 103 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Watts Crossroads. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 19 offer telehealth.
Charles Hensleigh, MD
Family medicine · 83745 Hwy 9, Ashland
John Fischer, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 83745 Hwy 9, Ashland
Richard Snouffer, MD
Family medicine · 83825 Hwy 9, Ashland
Charles Ogles, MD
Family medicine · 86261 Hwy 9, Ashland
Joshua Johannson, MD
OB-GYN · 83825 Hwy 9, Ashland
Michael Gaines, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 256 Oxford Exchange Boulevard, Oxford
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
Compare the pharmacies closest to Watts Crossroads, AL. Contact a location directly to confirm pharmacy-counter hours, services, prices, and product availability before visiting.
Young Drug Store
4.4 miAshland Pharmacy
6.4 miThe Drug Store
7.2 mi
16 mi 
16 mi 
16 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Watts Crossroads, 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 Watts Crossroads, 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.
PrEP & DoxyPEP
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
PrEP & DoxyPEP
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
Online treatment
Visit from $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
Online treatment
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 Clay County, the county that includes Watts Crossroads, compare with Alabama and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~20% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#56 of 67 Alabama counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 16% of the state
| Infection | Clay County | Alabama | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 311.8 44 cases ▼ 52% | 651.1 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 78 11 cases ▼ 66% | 226.9 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 21.3 3 cases ▼ 26% | 28.6 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 7.1 1 cases ▼ 65% | 20.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 14.2 2 cases ▼ 42% | 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 Clay County, chlamydia has fallen from 372.3 to 311.8 per 100,000 (16%), gonorrhea has fallen from 231.8 to 78 per 100,000 (66%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 7 to 21.3 per 100,000 (204%).
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
Primary-care shortage score 11 / 26
Medically Underserved Area · IMU 60.4
Social Vulnerability Index · 62nd 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 Clay 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.
Clay County HIV care continuum (2020)
Clay County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2020), against 16.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Clay County residents living with HIV, 84.2% are in care · 78.9% 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 Clay County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Editorially Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
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 →
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Watts Crossroads carries a quiet solidity: more than three-quarters of households own their homes, and streets near Parker High Point and Little Caney Head have the settled feel of a place people stay in. But that rootedness doesn't automatically mean getting screened is easy. For the nearly half of households not currently in the workforce, days can be full in unpredictable ways; for those who are working, protected time mid-week is a rarity rather than a given. Those realities land unevenly on younger adults: people in their late teens and twenties, the group for whom routine screening is most consequential and most likely to be deferred when logistics feel like an obstacle course.
Clay County's STI landscape gives that deferral real stakes. What helps is that roughly half of households here are solidly two-income families, which can ease the cost side of the equation. The listed options include low-fee and sliding-scale clinics worth comparing before the drive out to Doc Hilt Trails area and back becomes a reason to reschedule.
Getting there
At 5.35/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Watts Crossroads 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 36266 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 36266 area around Watts Crossroads: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Watts Crossroads alone.
Watts Crossroads sits in Clay County, ZIP 36266. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Watts Crossroads? 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 Clay 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 Watts Crossroads-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 Watts Crossroads 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.
Possibly, Oxford, AL is close; compare it by distance against Clay Quality Health Care.
Medicaid generally covers STD testing, and public clinics test for free regardless of coverage.
Yes, community and public clinics test the uninsured, with sliding-scale fees.
Local options test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Herpes, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Rapid HIV, a full panel covers the common ones.
About 312 cases per 100,000 residents (2023), below the Alabama average.
In Alabama, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Lab results typically come back in 1–2 days.
Yes, the CDC recommends STI screening early in pregnancy, since untreated infections can affect the baby.
A clinic offers same-day answers and on-site treatment; an at-home kit trades that for privacy and convenience, both use real lab testing.
Just note your exposure dates and symptoms; for urine tests, hold off urinating ~1 hour before.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.