In Ware County, Georgia, reported chlamydia runs about 67% higher than the national average. Whether it's your first STI test or a routine screening in Waycross, Georgia, you might prefer the convenience of a walk-in clinic or the flexibility of a lab or at-home kit.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Waycross, GA. The nearest, McKinney Community Health Center Outreach Site, 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.
McKinney Community Health Center Outreach Site in Waycross earned its federal FQHC designation by charging what patients can actually pay, sliding-scale fees tied to income. Walk-ins without an appointment can access STI screening for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, making it a practical option for cash-paying and underserved residents.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
McKinney Community Health Center in Waycross welcomes walk-ins for STI screening without an appointment. Federal qualification anchors its sliding-scale fee structure, so cost adjusts to income. A single visit can cover syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, making same-day screening straightforward for anyone who walks through the door.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
Georgia Department of Public Health in Waycross runs STI care through the full infrastructure of a public health department: appointments required, with gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, HIV, herpes, and hepatitis on the panel, same-visit bacterial treatment, and all services provided at no fee.
The fee schedule at Georgia Department of Public Health in Waycross reads the same for every service: nothing. Testing, treatment, vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and mpox. All are provided at no cost, sliding scale included, so the breadth of care available is never shaped by what someone can afford to pay.
Spanish-language services are available directly at Georgia Department of Public Health in Waycross, which means clinical conversations (exposure history, treatment options, prevention counseling) happen in Spanish without delay or mediation.
Georgia Department of Public Health in Waycross tests for herpes and hepatitis A, B, and C in addition to gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV, meaning a single appointment can surface infections that a narrower panel would leave undetected.
Languages
English, Spanish
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified May 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
MMC Nahunta, serving Nahunta, carries federal qualification that ties its STI screening fees directly to each patient's income. No one is turned away for inability to pay. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening without an appointment.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A safety-net rural health clinic about 24 miles from Waycross. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
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 Waycross, 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 value: single tests
$49 & 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 Ware 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.
1900 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
CMS-certified lab Accredited · Joint Commission
808 Beacon Street, Waycross, GA 31501
CMS-certified lab
711 Knight Avenue, Waycross, GA 31501
CMS-certified lab
1751 Gus Karle Parkway, Waycross, GA 31503
CMS-certified lab
1701 D Boulevard Square, Waycross, GA 31501
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 5 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Waycross. 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, 40 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Waycross. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 7 offer telehealth.
Shad Stormant, MD
Family medicine · 1302 Plant Avenue, Waycross
Alex Brown, MD
Internal medicine · 615 Pendleton Street, Waycross
James Blasko, MD
Family medicine · 935 Mcdonald Street, Waycross
Jennifer Clairday
Family medicine · 218 Quarterman Street, Waycross
Neha Kakkar, MD Telehealth
Internal medicine · 407 West Oneida Street, Waycross
Benjamin O'Connell
Family medicine · 1506 Alice Street, Waycross
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 Waycross, GA 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.
The Medicine Cabinet of Waycross - Downtown
0.3 miHarveys Supermarket Pharmacy
0.7 miBatten's Prescription Shoppe
0.8 miGriffin's Prescription Shop
0.9 mi
1.0 mi 
1.0 mi Showing the 6 closest pharmacies to Waycross, GA.
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 Waycross, 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 $39
Online STI treatment & DoxyPEP: same-day prescriptions to your pharmacy
$0 with most insurance
Free online PrEP & DoxyPEP: HIV prevention, home lab kits, no in-person visit
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
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 Ware County, the county that includes Waycross, compare with Georgia and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~23% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#27 of 159 Georgia counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 83% of the state
| Infection | Ware County | Georgia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 822.2 298 cases ▲ 27% | 646.4 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 322.8 117 cases ▲ 17% | 274.8 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 41.4 15 cases ▲ 107% | 20 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 22.1 8 cases ▲ 20% | 18.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 38.6 14 cases ▲ 8% | 35.8 | 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 Ware County, chlamydia has risen from 733.8 to 822.2 per 100,000 (12%), gonorrhea has fallen from 375.2 to 322.8 per 100,000 (14%), and P&S syphilis has risen from 5.5 to 41.4 per 100,000 (653%).
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 Ware County.
Local HIV snapshot
Ware County HIV care continuum (2023)
Ware County recorded 23.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 25.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Ware County residents living with HIV, 79.9% are in care · 73.2% 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 Ware County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Phoenix Park sits at a quiet center of Waycross life, but getting from there to a testing clinic means a car trip in a city where sidewalks and bus lines don't close that gap. Something that shapes how realistically anyone follows through on a screening intention. That practical friction matters especially for younger adults still forming relationships, who make up a meaningful slice of Waycross's population. With fewer than half of adults in the workforce and more than half of households renting, at monthly costs that leave slim room for discretionary spending, health appointments compete with real logistical and financial constraints. A low-cost or sliding-scale clinic on Plant Avenue or Screven Avenue doesn't just sound convenient; for a renter paying under $700 a month, a fee-free visit can be the actual deciding factor.
The options listed on this page exist across a range of hours and fee structures precisely because one model doesn't fit every schedule or budget. Household size here runs larger than the national average, which means many adults are navigating health decisions inside family units. Shared cars, shared childcare, shared time. Knowing that testing is available without a lengthy commute, without significant out-of-pocket cost, and without a drawn-out intake process lets a quick errand around Gilchrist Park become a health visit on the same afternoon.
Getting there
At 7.95/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Waycross 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 31503 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 31503 area around Waycross: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Waycross alone.
Waycross sits in Ware County, ZIP 31503. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Neighborhoods & communities
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Waycross? 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 Ware County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under Georgia 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 Waycross-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 Waycross 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 Georgia 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 Georgia, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
Georgia 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 GeorgiaSource: 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.
There are 7 options within a 30-mile drive.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it, and public clinics are free either way.
Georgia Department of Public Health, about 1 mi away, provides free testing.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Ware County reported ~822 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, above the Georgia average.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In Georgia, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
A kit ships to your address; you collect a urine, swab, or finger-stick sample, mail it to the lab, and get results online in a few days.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
It can; oral HSV-1 transmits to the genitals during oral sex.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.