STI/HIV Testing

Free STD testing by state: clinics and health departments

Community health centers, health department STD clinics, and CDC GetTested

There is no single federal program that pays for free STD testing nationwide, the way NBCCEDP, CRCCP, and WISEWOMAN cover the screenings above. "STD" (sexually transmitted disease) and "STI" (sexually transmitted infection) describe the same category of infections; clinicians increasingly use STI because a person can carry and transmit an infection without ever developing symptomatic disease.

Free and low-cost testing instead runs through three channels that exist in every state:

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). HRSA-funded community health centers are required by federal law (42 USC 254b) to serve every patient regardless of ability to pay, with fees reduced on a sliding scale for the uninsured. Most offer confidential STI and HIV testing as routine primary care. See our directory at /clinics/.
State and local health department STD clinics. Every state and most counties run their own STD clinic network, typically free or low-cost, confidential, and often walk-in.
CDC GetTested. The CDC's national HIV, STD, and hepatitis testing locator at gettested.cdc.gov finds sites by ZIP code and flags free or low-cost options.

Why this matters for Black families

Most community health centers offer confidential STD and HIV testing on a sliding scale, and access matters most where the burden is highest: Black Americans account for roughly a third of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis diagnoses nationwide despite being 12.6% of the population (CDC, Sexually Transmitted Infections Surveillance, 2023).

Many of the most common STIs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, often cause no symptoms, which is why routine testing, not waiting for symptoms, is the only reliable way to know your status. Testing through an FQHC, a health department STD clinic, or a CDC GetTested site is confidential, and none of the three routes requires insurance.

Who qualifies (federal baseline)

There is no federal age, income, or insurance-status gate for STD testing the way NBCCEDP, CRCCP, and WISEWOMAN have one, because no single federal program administers it. What that means in practice:

FQHCs: serve patients of any age or income; fees are reduced on a sliding scale for the uninsured and cannot be denied for inability to pay.
Health department STD clinics: eligibility and fees are set locally; many are free or low-cost regardless of income, and some require no appointment.
CDC GetTested sites: eligibility varies by listed site; the tool flags which locations offer free or low-cost testing.

Call ahead to confirm hours, walk-in policy, and what a visit costs before you go: the three routes above are run by different organizations with different intake processes.