In Wharton County, reported gonorrhea runs about 52% lower than the US average. Whether you have symptoms or just want peace of mind in Wharton County, Texas, your options include walk-ins for same-day testing or planning around your own time with labs and at-home kits.
Available testing centers
9 testing options are listed for Wharton, TX. The nearest, El Campo Memorial Hospital, is about 1.1 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.
A safety-net rural health clinic about 1 mile from Wharton. Sliding-scale STD testing and care are typical here, call ahead to confirm the exact panel and pricing.
Tests offered
MEHOP Wharton Health 3 in Wharton meets patients where they are (uninsured, cash-paying, or simply between providers) through federally qualified standing that anchors sliding-scale fees to income. STI screening covers syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, with no appointment needed to get started.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
A public STD-testing option about 1 mile from Wharton.
Languages
English
Tests offered
Serves
Care services
Prevention services
Fees & payment
Listing verified Apr 2026 · Source: CDC NPIN
MEHOP Health Services Wharton, serving Wharton, carries federally qualified health center standing: meaning its sliding-scale fees adjust to your income, making syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening reachable for patients across the economic spectrum without appointments required.
Tests offered
Fees & payment
MEHOP Administration and Outreach, in Bay City, carries federal qualification as a community health center, which means STI screening costs are tied to what patients actually earn. Walk-ins are welcome for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia testing, with fees adjusted on a sliding scale regardless of insurance status.
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 about 1 mile away; if you'd rather skip the trip, an at-home kit ships to Wharton, 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 Wharton 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.
10141 Hwy 59 Road, Wharton, TX 77488
CMS-certified lab Accredited · College of American Pathologists
3703 Fm 2765 Suite East, El Campo, TX 77437
CMS-certified lab
303 Sandy Corner Road, El Campo, TX 77437
CMS-certified lab Accredited · COLA
Source: CMS CLIA registry (Provider of Services), Q1 2026. Federal public records: active CLIA-certified laboratories near Wharton. 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, 83 primary-care, OB-GYN, infectious-disease and other clinicians have a CMS practice record within 30 miles of Wharton. They may be able to evaluate symptoms or order a confidential STD panel during a regular visit, and 31 offer telehealth.
Farhana Ambreen, MD
Family medicine · 10119 US 59 Highway, Wharton
Sarfraz Aly, MD Telehealth
Infectious disease · 2011 Fm 102 Road, Wharton
John Pulvino, DO
Family medicine · 1403 Valhalla Drive, Wharton
Brooke Dorotik, MD
Family medicine · 1201 North Mechanic Street, El Campo
Angela Abouassi, MD
Family medicine · 3703 Fm 2765 Road, El Campo
Robert Ogdee, MD
OB-GYN · 303 Sandy Corner Road, El Campo
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 Wharton, 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.
1.3 mi Professional Pharmacy
13 miMedistar Apothecary
13 miMidcoast Pharmacy
13 miLifechek
13 miShowing the 5 closest pharmacies to Wharton, 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 Wharton, 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 Wharton County, the county that includes Wharton, compare with Texas and U.S. averages, based on the most recent 2023 surveillance data. An estimated ~28% of residents are aged 15–34 (ACS), the age group with the highest reported chlamydia and gonorrhea rates nationally.
#99 of 254 Texas counties for chlamydia, a higher rate than 61% of the state
| Infection | Wharton County | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 354.6 148 cases ▼ 28% | 491.9 | 492.2 |
| Gonorrhea | 86.3 36 cases ▼ 51% | 176.4 | 179.5 |
| Syphilis (P&S) | 7.2 3 cases ▼ 52% | 15 | 15.8 |
| Syphilis (early) | 12 5 cases ▼ 55% | 26.4 | 16 |
| Syphilis (late/unknown) | 21.6 9 cases ▼ 51% | 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 Wharton County, chlamydia has fallen from 396.9 to 354.6 per 100,000 (11%), gonorrhea has fallen from 151.6 to 86.3 per 100,000 (43%), and P&S syphilis has fallen from 14.4 to 7.2 per 100,000 (50%).
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 Wharton County.
Local HIV snapshot
Wharton County HIV care continuum (2023)
Wharton County recorded 23.4 new HIV diagnoses per 100,000 (2023), against 20.2 statewide and 13.7 nationally. Among Wharton County residents living with HIV, 71.2% are in care · 57.5% 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 Wharton County tests for syphilis.
Source: CDC NCHHSTP AtlasPlus, 2023 (county-level congenital syphilis is not published).
Local resources & officials
Data & references
Local context
Along North Richmond Road, where the CPKC Rosenberg Subdivision marks the edge of town, daily life in Wharton moves at a pace shaped by work schedules that don't always leave room for appointments. Homeownership here splits almost evenly down the middle, with roughly half of households renting at modest monthly costs that still compete with every other line in a tight budget. When a household averages more than three people and fewer than one in ten earn six figures, a testing visit that requires taking half a day off carries real weight. That pressure lands hardest on the younger adults who need routine screening most.
People in their late teens and twenties are the years when new relationships form and infections spread most easily, yet they're also the years when jobs are less flexible and transportation is less certain. With just over half the adult population in the labor force and unemployment running at a noticeable clip, the realistic picture is one of irregular hours, shared vehicles, and limited scheduling power. For a workforce where many people's availability shifts week to week, having multiple fee structures and appointment windows means the errand can actually get scheduled around a real shift, not postponed indefinitely.
Getting there
At 6.35/20 on the EPA walkability index, day-to-day errands in Wharton 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 77488 snapshot
ZIP-level Census figures for the wider 77488 area around Wharton: a single ZIP can span several communities, so they describe the area, not Wharton alone.
Wharton sits in Wharton County, ZIP 77488. Local context that shapes where residents test:
Local landmarks
Major routes
Nearby cities & towns
Just outside Wharton? 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 Wharton 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 Wharton-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 Wharton 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.
There are 9 options within a 30-mile drive.
Yes, Medicaid typically covers it, and public clinics are free either way.
Public health clinics nearby provide free testing.
A full panel typically covers chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Wharton County reported ~355 chlamydia cases per 100,000 in 2023, below the Texas average.
At-home kits mail to 77488: self-collect, send to the lab, results in ~2–5 days.
Most results are ready in about 1–2 days.
In Texas, people under 18 can consent to confidential STD testing and treatment on their own.
Chlamydia is checked with a simple urine sample or a swab; lab results usually come back in a day or two.
Get treated, notify partners, pause sex until cleared, and follow up, the infection is manageable.
Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.