In McDowell County, the reported chlamydia rate runs about 55% lower than the US average. Whether for a one-time concern or regular check-ups in Welch, West Virginia, you have choices between community and public clinics, which are often low-cost or free and private labs with faster results and more flexible scheduling. Your best fit depends on your priorities. See the options below.
Available testing centers
7 testing options are listed for Welch, WV. The nearest, Tug River Health Association, is about 2.9 miles away. Compare community and public clinics, private labs, and at-home kits below.
Tug River Health Association in Welch screens for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, and both hepatitis B and C on a sliding-scale fee adjustable to income, with Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance all accepted. Appointments required.
Tug River Health Association treats hepatitis C on-site, which means a confirmed result moves immediately into a managed treatment plan rather than sitting at a diagnostic endpoint. Patients leave with a clinical relationship already in place.
The substance-use program at Tug River operates within the same clinical structure as STI services: meaning the same appointment system, the same provider network, and integrated monitoring rather than a parallel referral track. Medications and treatment plans are managed in-house.
Beyond the core bacterial and HIV tests, Tug River's panel includes herpes simplex, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Each requiring either serology or type-specific antibody testing that is ordered and processed through the clinic's own diagnostic workflow.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Jan 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
McDowell County Health Department in Wilcoe covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, herpes, hepatitis C, and TB, with bacterial infections treated the same visit. Fees run on a sliding scale, with Medicaid and Medicare accepted, and an appointment is required.
County health clinics often leave younger patients navigating care without the privacy protections they need. McDowell County Health Department holds Title X designation, which means family planning services for minors are legally confidential. Not dependent on parental involvement to access.
Many clinics draw the line at chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV and send patients elsewhere for anything further. McDowell County Health Department tests for herpes and hepatitis C as well, keeping those results, and any follow-up treatment, within the same appointment.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
Wyoming County Health Department in Pineville tests for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C on a sliding-scale fee, with same-visit treatment available for bacterial infections. An appointment is required.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Mar 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 3 miles away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Welch, 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 for simplicity & support
$89 & 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 McDowell 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.
454 Mcdowell Street, Welch, WV 24801
CMS-certified lab
5883 Black Diamond Highway, Gary, WV 24836
CMS-certified lab
Showing the nearest 2 CLIA-certified labs.
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Welch. 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 Welch. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 25 offer telehealth.
James Salyers
Family medicine · 454 Mcdowell Street, Welch
Brandon Lingenfelter, DO Telehealth
OB-GYN · Rt 103 Supply Street, Gary
Farzin Rahmanou, DO Telehealth
Internal medicine · 150 Venus Road, Gary
Samuel Muscari, DO
Family medicine · 44 Cedar Avenue, Pineville
Joanna Bailey, MD
Family medicine · 512 Mountaineer Highway, Bradshaw
Denny Goss, MD Telehealth
Family medicine · 1616 Mountaineer Highway, Bradshaw
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 Welch, WV 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.
0.9 mi Right Way Drug
1.0 mi
1.0 mi Citizen's Pharmacy
1.1 miCharlies Pharmacy
9.7 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Welch, WV.
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 Welch, 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
From $0 insured
Telehealth PrEP & DoxyPEP with at-home testing and ongoing monitoring
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 McDowell County, the county that includes Welch, compare with West Virginia and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~26% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#18 of 55 West Virginia counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 67% of the state
| Infection | McDowell County | West Virginia | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 223.6 39 cases ▼ 10% | 249 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 17.2 3 cases ▼ 69% | 54.7 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 5.7 1 cases ▼ 48% | 10.9 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | — no data | 6.1 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 17.2 3 cases ▲ 6% | 16.3 | 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 McDowell County, chlamydia has risen from 125.6 to 223.6 per 100,000 (78%), gonorrhea has risen from 15.7 to 17.2 per 100,000 (10%), and P&S syphilis has held roughly steady from 5.7 to 5.7 per 100,000.
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 McDowell County.
Local HIV snapshot
McDowell County HIV care continuum (2023)
McDowell County recorded 0 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 6.5 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among McDowell County residents living with HIV, 71.4% are in care · 71.4% 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 McDowell County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Martha H. Moore Riverfront Park sits at the heart of Welch in a way that captures the town plainly: unhurried, rooted, and not particularly built for running errands across town. That rooted quality shows up in who lives here. Nearly three-quarters of residents own their homes (many for years, even generations) which speaks to a stability that coexists with real economic pressure: typical home values run low, and high-earning households are a small slice of the community. For younger adults in Welch, the people in their late teens and twenties who are statistically most likely to encounter an STI, that cost reality matters.
A test that carries even a modest fee can feel like a decision worth deferring, and options listed here that offer sliding-scale or no-cost visits close that gap in a direct way. The labor-force picture adds another layer. With a notably small share of residents in active employment, schedules are less about nine-to-five conflicts than about transportation, distance, and the logistics of a trip out of McDowell County altogether. Several of the listed options offer extended or weekend hours, which means a single outing down US 52 can accomplish what otherwise keeps getting postponed.
Getting there
At 5.57/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Welch 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 24801 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 24801 area around Welch: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Welch alone.
Welch sits in McDowell County, ZIP 24801. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Welch? 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 McDowell County: the CDC's screening guidelines, each infection's detection window, per-test reference prices, and your privacy rights under West Virginia 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 Welch-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 Welch 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia, a minor of any age can consent to confidential STI testing and treatment on their own, no parental permission is required.
West Virginia 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 West VirginiaSource: 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 6 options within a 30-mile drive.
Free at public clinics. Private labs run about $24 for one test and $139 for a full panel; at-home kits are $49+.
Yes, free HIV testing is available at public clinics in the area.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
McDowell County reported ~224 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the West Virginia average.
In West Virginia, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Get treated, notify partners, pause sex until cleared, and follow up, the infection is manageable.
Reassuring if you tested after the window, just retest if it was early, and screen again with new partners.
Yes, site matters; oral/anal exposure needs a throat or rectal swab, which urine testing won't catch.
A urine test or swab finds trichomoniasis, one of the most treatable STIs.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.