Preferred Location: 5324 Mcfarland Drive Ste 100 Durham,NC 27707 Sayward Drive Change location
SaferSTD Preferred Location: 5324 Mcfarland Drive Ste 100 Durham,NC 27707 Sayward Drive Change Location
North Carolina has some of the highest STD rates in the US. The South has relatively high STD rates for various reasons. Much of the population is rural, making access to clinics difficult for many people (especially after many closed due to public health budget cuts), especially if they are also poor.
Mobile clinics and free STD testing can help, but that isn’t available in all areas. Most STIs are asymptomatic, leading many people to assume they are healthy. The only way to know your status for sure is to be tested.
In 2015, Orange County had an HIV prevalence rate of 214 per 100K people, under North Carolina’s rate of 349 and much lower than Durham and Wake counties’ rates. In 2016, Orange County’s chlamydia rate was 490.3 per 100K people, compared to North Carolina’s rate of 577.6. The county’s gonorrhea and (primary and secondary) syphilis rates were 122.4 and 3.5.
Planned Parenthood is located on Dobbins Dr. They test for STIs and treat all though not HIV, and the fee is on a sliding scale. FastMed Urgent Care on Franklin St also provides STD testing. Piedmont Health on Kingston Dr also provides confidential STI testing and treatment.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention1 (CDC) recommends screening for the most common STDs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, herpes 1, herpes 2, and HIV for both men and women. In addition, the CDC suggests women get screened for trichomoniasis.
SaferSTD recommends searching for locations that offer a 10-test panel which tests for the most common bacteria and viral STDs in the U.S. with additional premium add-ons like early HIV detection, if needed.
The CDC2 provides detailed STD testing information as to when you should get tested. In summary, you should get tested today if you are sexually active, never been tested before, have had unprotected sex in the past, or if you exhibit symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization3, the majority of STI cases reported every day, more than one million, are asymptomatic; another reason to get tested today.
You should get tested again in 90 days to rule out STDs that have specific exposure waiting times, including HIV.
STD testing can be a quick and simple process, depending on the type of test you choose and where you get tested. Some may require an oral or genital swab, a urine test or blood sample, or a physical exam to check your genital area for signs of an STD.
SaferSTD has identified preferred providers that require only a urine test, a blood sample, or both without a physical exam.
The speed at which you receive your STD testing results depends on where you get tested. Before you choose your location, find out how long testing results will take.
At-home STD testing results are usually 3-5 business days, depending on the manufacturer of your test. You also need to take into account the amount of time it takes to receive the test or pick one up, perform the test, and ship it back, before the lab can analyze your results and report back to you.
If you test at a public facility such as a neighborhood clinic, you may have to wait a week, if not more for the results, which could delay treatment. If you test through a private facility, they have the fastest turnaround within 1-3 business days.
SaferSTD has researched and identified the most accredited and most reputable testing locations. Click here to find a preferred location near you.
Some STD testing clinics offer same-day walk-in options without an appointment. Below are nearby preferred locations that offer this option.
The cost of STD testing depends on whether you select private, public, or at-home testing, as well as the type of test(s) you need.
Several at-home STD options and public testing locations can cost up to $250, with most on the higher end, depending on the brand and type of testing. Public testing fees also vary based on income and welfare eligibility.
With private testing, you may save money on a low-cost comprehensive 10-test panel that tests for the most common bacterial and viral STDs in the United States.
SaferSTD has researched and identified reputable locations that offer upfront pricing without hidden fees. Click here to find a preferred location near you.
Samaritan Health Center is a member of the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) whose main aim, is to serve the less fortunate residents who are living with HIV through providing them with vital primary care.
Their medical team works tirelessly to eradicate HIV related stigma. The clinic offers free rapid and conventional HIV testing services to the County residents.
Healing with CAARE is a community-based clinic that started over twenty years ago. Since then, it has developed to become an institution that provides preventative measures and tools to high-risk persons and their families.
The clinic strives to educate residents about reproductive health. They conduct free HIV screening and provide referral services, to the underserved members of the community.
Lincoln Community Health Center was established in 1971 by DR. Charles DeWitt Watts to deliver quality and affordable health care to the underprivileged residents of the County.
Their health care providers avail themselves to your personal health care needs by providing around the clock access to medical advice through the phone. HIV screening is pain-free and swift, with results taking a minimum of 30 minutes.
Planned Parenthood continues to be Country-wide leader in providing high exceptional and affordable health care as well as the top-most reproductive health educator. The clinic offers health care to all whether you are insured or not, their highly skilled doctors and nurses conduct quick and painless HIV&STD testing services to all residents no matter their ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.
Piedmont Health Carrboro Community Health Center was started by an association of health care providers at the UNC-Chapel Hill who responded to the growing need for attainable medical services for the underserved population.
Their highly trained medical team aspire to deliver quality health care with dignity and understanding to locals living with HIV and their families. They conduct affordable HIV and STD testing services that produce results in 20 minutes.
Chapel Hill Medical clinic aims to improve the lives of Orange County residents by availing vital primary care services to persons living with HIV in the community.
Their trained health care practitioners conduct free HIV and STD testing services and offer affordable PrEP medication to high-risk individuals to help reduce the transmission of HIV. Test results take a minimum of 15 minutes.
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Accredited and Certified
These location types are best for: Privacy and convenience
Description: Order online and receive a doctor's order to visit this lab to get tested in as little as 15 mins. Get your results privately within 1-2 business days and speak with a doctor over the phone if your test results come back positive. Doctors may prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialist if needed.
Accredited and Certified
These location types are best for: Privacy and convenience
Description: Getting an STD test at a clinic near you has never been easier. When you choose this location, you can get a doctor's requisition to get tested in as little as 15 minutes. Following your test, you receive your results privately within 2 business days, and can speak to a doctor over the phone with confidence, should results come back as positive.
Accredited and Certified
These location types are best for: Privacy and convenience
Description: Why go to a public clinic? Get convenient and fast STD testing that is 100% confidential. Individual tests under $50. Order online and visit this lab the same day for a quick 15 min test. Get your results online within 1-2 business days, and view them privately. Doctor consultation available over the phone, should results come back as positive.
Accredited and Certified
These location types are best for: Privacy and convenience
Description: Get Fast, Easy and Affordable testing at this location. Results come back within 2 business days and be in and out of the lab in less then 20 minutes.
Show only locations where privacy and discretion is taken into importance.
Description: Educational Organization/Institution. Open to the general public. Provides free health services to local underserved individuals and communities. Free condoms and safer sex supplies are available. PrEP referrals and treatment for bacterial STIs are also available free of charge. Walk-ins are encouraged to arrive early. Open to the general public. Provides free health services to local underserved individuals and communities
Description: To receive services client must register as a new patient.
Show only locations where you can easily book your test online.
Description: Public Health Department/Social Services Department, Must register prior to receiving services. Must be an Orange county resident to get TB testing and treatment. PrEP prescriptions at low coast available to patients identified as being at high-risk for HIV infection. Hours vary. Please call to make an appointment
Description: Social Service Organization. You are welcome to walk in any time the Health Center is open to make an appointment or see if there is a same day appointment available
Show only locations where they offer the HIV RNA Early Detection Test for people who think they may have been recently exposed to the HIV virus
Description: Currently living in Durham County; Earning under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level; Uninsured and not eligible for government assisted health care programs (such as Medicaid and Medicare). Thursday closed from 2pm-5:30pm, reopens 5:30pm-8:30pm
Description: Hospital.
Description: Public Health Department/Social Services Department. No restrictions. STI services are provided with Medicaid reimbursement or at no charge to the patient. For pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinic provides free testing for HIV/STIs/hepatitis and referral assistance. Other services within the agency might incur a fee. Closed from 12noon-1pm
Description: Community Based Organization. Call for testing info
Description: Community Based Organization.
Description: Public Health Department/Social Services Department. Low cost PrEP prescriptions provided to patients identified as being at high-risk for HIV infection. Clinic hours above
Top STD Testing Locations in Chapel Hill, NC
Primary Item (H2)HIV testing is free at the clinic to all residents of Durham County living under 300% of the federal poverty level, and are uninsured. Please carry a picture ID of yourself.
Samaritan Health Center delivers free and quality health care to the underserved population of Durham County in a professional and secure environment. Their health care providers are understanding and courteous. However, obscenity or rudeness towards staff warrants instant dismissal from the clinic.
507 E Knox St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
HIV testing services are available to all at no cost. Other services are done at subsidized rates. Testing is quick and painless with results taking a minimum of 20 minutes.
CAARE clinic offers free and accessible quality health care for all regardless of your financial status. Their medical staff are caring and understanding to everyone who walks into their facility. This should encourage Durham County resident to visit the clinic and get tested.
214 Broadway St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
HIV and STD testing services are available at pocket-friendly rates. A sliding scale fee discount is applied depending on your ability to pay. The clinic also accepts the Medicaid Program.
Lincoln medical staff member treats clients as a family. They are patient and attentive to your personal medical needs. Their services are affordable and efficient, making it an ideal place to visit and get tested.
1301 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27707, USA
HIV and STD testing services are done at a low cost. The clinic accepts insurance but also caters for non-insured clients. Medicaid and Medicare programs accepted at the clinic.
Planned Parenthood has English and Spanish interpretation services which you can request as you schedule for an appointment. They have professional and caring staff who strive to deliver personalized care to all. HIV testing takes 20-30 minutes using the swab method. Visit the clinic and get to know your status.
1765 Dobbins Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
HIV and STD testing services are done at a low cost at the clinic. They accept Medicare and Medicaid Programs, as well as insurance. A sliding scale fee discount is available dependent on a client’s ability to pay.
Piedmont Health clinic has a well-stocked pharmacy, a caring and helpful staff who pitch-in to the clinic’s achievements and share the obligation to serve you. Their multiple and affordable payment options make quality health care accessible to all residents.
301 Lloyd St, Carrboro, NC 27510, USA
HIV and STD testing services are done at no cost at the clinic. Other medical services are available at affordable rates, Medicaid and Medicare programs are accepted at the clinic as well as private insurance cover. A sliding scale fee discount is available depending on your ability to pay.
Chapel Hill Medical clinic provides free and confidential HIV and STD testing services. The clinic also has helpful and multi-lingual staff, and for these reasons, no one has an excuse not to get tested and know their status.
2501 Homestead Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA
Sexual health education remains an ongoing challenge in the United States, many conservative communities, particularly in the Southern Bible Belt are strongly opposed to sexual health education in the schools. And they believe that if this education happens that it should be strongly abstinence-based, despite statistics suggesting that abstinence-based education is an abject failure at preventing teenage pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Most individuals and organizations that work with teenagers say that the programs that work are those that provide sober and statistical information and teach practical matters, such as the importance of always using a condom.
Even though Chapel Hill and Durham County are southern areas, they are significantly more liberal than most of the South, and thus, sexual health education is not viewed as being a particularly taboo topic. This is especially true on the campus of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. During orientation, students receive information about sexual health and are talked to about the risks of promiscuous hook-ups at college parties when decision-making may be impaired by drugs or alcohol. Students are also able to get condoms free from resident advisories in dormitories, student health services, and other organizations around campus. Public health officials at the university understand that sexual relations are a fact of modern university life; their goal is to make these interactions as safe as possible.
The Student Wellness Center provides a wide range of services for individual students, as well as group education programs. The Center also understands that the needs of all students are not the same. As a result, they offer specialized services for members of the LGBTQ community, and also provide referrals and information about other services that are available in the community.
These education tools will continue to be vitally important for the foreseeable future. Nationwide, research indicates that a staggering amount of newly reported STDs, particularly for gonorrhea and chlamydia, are among young adults between the ages of 15-24. More and more, within this demographic, there seems to be a growing acceptance of having multiple sexual partners and engaging in casual hookups. These casual hook-ups often are accompanied by unsafe sexual health practices. Again, changing the culture of these teenagers is likely to fail, hook-ups are a fact of modern life. Instead, public health officials in Durham County are focused on ensuring that these encounters are as safe as they can be.
The demographics of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Durham County are significantly different than what one would see in the rest of North Carolina, or in southern states as a whole. As noted earlier, Chapel Hill is the most educated community in North Carolina, with more than 70 percent of residents having at least a bachelor’s degree, and many holding advanced degrees. In general, education is usually a driver of better and safer sexual health practices. An educated individual is more likely to use a condom and more likely to have fewer sexual partners. However, this correlation between education and behaviors is not always perfect, especially when drinking and partying (like happens on college campuses) is taken into account.
In addition to the link between education and safer sexual practices, there also tends to be a link between economic vitality and higher incomes and safer sexual health practices. In other words, a person who makes more money is more likely to use a condom and is also more likely to regularly be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. However, the high number of college students in the community throws a little wrinkle into this standard correlation.
The final demographic feature worth noting about the Durham County, and Chapel Hill, area is the high number of young people in the region. Many of these individuals are college students or people who have decided to stay on in the area after graduation, taking advantage of the booming economy and the plethora of high tech jobs in the area. Again, as noted early, younger people (those between the ages of 15 and 24) are often more likely to engage in risky sexual practices for a variety of reasons. This demographic feature of the area is unlikely to change in the near future.
Given the fact that it is a university town, and has a renowned school of nursing and public health, and that many of the jobs in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area in the medical and scientific field, it should come as no surprise that there are a plethora of testing choices for people who are concerned about their sexual health.
For University of North Carolina students who have questions or want to be tested, the Student Wellness Center is a great first stop. Most STD testing and treatment can be done directly through on-campus sites. However, if more specialized care is necessary, then the Center can also refer to outside providers. Many students, as well as other members of the community, also receive testing and care at the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Chapel Hill. This facility provides comprehensive testing for STDs, as well as pregnancy testing and contraceptive services. Recognizing that contraception and sexual health requires communication between all partners, the Clinic also has services devoted to men’s health, as well as offering specialized care for members of the LGBTQ community.
For area residents who may be on a fixed income or have difficulty paying for testing through private doctors’ offices and clinics, the Orange County Health Department also offers a wide range of STD testing. Chapel Hill spans both Orange County and Durham County; this makes it somewhat more complicated to determine specific STD rates for only Chapel Hill.
In addition to the above-mentioned options, there is also a wide range of private testing choices for individuals concerned about their sexual health. People can have testing done at their own doctors’ offices, as well as at diagnostic facilities like, Any Lab Test Now, based on their personal preferences.
Sexual health is an important component of public well-being. Although some people find it an uncomfortable and even cringe-worthy topic to discuss with friends and family members, it is a topic that needs to be brought out from the dark to protect individual and public health. The time to discuss this issue is now; syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia rates are on the rise in communities around the country, including Chapel Hill, North Carolina. As a community that is dominated by a university, and thus with a significant population of young adults between the ages of 15 and 24, it is important that the community acts proactively to educate the public and offer a wide range of testing options.
People need to educate themselves about safe sexual health practices, and then they need to be tested at one of the facilities highlighted above, or the many other choices that exist around the city.
Sources
https://www.niche.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/
http://delaneycare.org/2015/03/hivaids-in-north-carolina/
https://studentwellness.unc.edu/sexual-health-resources
Each page below contains a detailed report of the local area, location STD statistics and clinic reviews of some the top STD testing locations. The content is curated by our very own editors and medical experts.