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STD Clinics in Austin: Public Health, Planned Parenthood and Community Options Compared

Updated · Sources are cited in the text

STD Clinics in Austin: Public Health, Planned Parenthood and Community Options Compared

This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Austin has several places to get tested for sexually transmitted infections. They differ in cost, in how you get an appointment, and in what else they offer, such as PrEP. This guide lays the options side by side so you can pick the one that fits your situation.

It covers the city health department clinic, a community health center, two nonprofit sexual health providers, an HIV-focused organization, the University of Texas clinic and Planned Parenthood. No option here is ranked as the best for everyone. The right choice depends on what you need, what you can pay and how soon you want to be seen.

Quick answer

If you want a low flat fee and the widest set of standard tests in one visit, Austin Public Health runs a Sexual Health Clinic that charges $30. If you want to walk in without an appointment, Kind Clinic's Koenig Lane location offers walk-in testing. If cost is the main barrier, ASHwell lists its services as always free, and Vivent Health offers free HIV testing. UT students have a drop-in option on campus.

The sections below explain each one and where it falls short.

How to read this comparison

The details come from each clinic's own published pages. When a clinic has not published something, this page says so instead of guessing. That matters most for three things: Planned Parenthood details, languages spoken, and walk-in policies at some sites.

Austin Public Health also notes that its website content updates may be delayed. Call before you go to confirm hours and fees.

Side-by-side table

Option Tests listed by the clinic Cost as published Walk-in PrEP or doxy-PEP
Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic (RBJ Health Center) HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia. Genital herpes testing only with active symptoms. $30 for testing and treatment Appointment (online or by phone). Not stated as walk-in. Not listed on its page
CommUnityCare IDEALhealth Program (Hancock Health Center) STI and HIV testing, HPV, hepatitis A and B and mpox vaccines Sliding fee scale, set in a meeting with a financial eligibility specialist Not stated DoxyPEP listed. CommUnityCare overall offers PrEP, PEP and HIV care.
Kind Clinic, Austin Koenig Gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV, hepatitis C Insured patients use insurance for lab work. A patient assistance program may help uninsured patients. Yes, walk-in testing PrEP and PEP. Doxy-PEP only for patients in ongoing care.
Kind Clinic, Austin South Walk-in STI testing is not offered here Not published No PrEP and PEP are listed organization-wide
ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness STI counseling, testing, diagnosis and treatment Services listed as always free. Medication may have costs. No, call first PrEP and PEP
Vivent Health, Austin HIV (including rapid), hepatitis C, STI tests Free HIV testing Call for walk-in hours PrEP
UT Austin University Health Services Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis Not published on its page Yes, drop-in, for people without symptoms Not listed
Planned Parenthood Check with the organization Check with the organization Check with the organization Check with the organization

The table shows what each clinic says on its own pages. A blank or "not stated" cell means the clinic has not published it, not that the service is unavailable.

Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic

This is the city health department's clinic, at the RBJ Health Center, 15 Waller Street, Austin, TX 78702. The phone number is 512-972-5430. Austin Public Health lists hours of Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.

Austin Public Health says the standard tests are HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. It also says the fee for testing and treatment is only $30. The clinic can test for genital herpes only if you have active symptoms.

You schedule a visit online or by calling the clinic. That is how many people think of health department STD testing: a set fee, a defined list of tests, and treatment available through the same clinic.

Pros

  • A single published fee that covers both testing and treatment.
  • Four standard tests in one visit.
  • Run by the city, so the clinic is tied into local public health services.

Cons

  • Appointments are the stated route, so same-day access is not promised.
  • Herpes testing is limited to people with active symptoms.
  • Weekday daytime hours only, which can be hard around work or school.
  • Its page does not list PrEP.

CommUnityCare IDEALhealth Program

CommUnityCare is a federally qualified health center network. Its IDEALhealth Program is at the Hancock Health Center, 1000 E. 41st St., Suite 700, Austin, TX 78751. The phone number is 512-978-9015.

The program lists STI and HIV testing and prevention, DoxyPEP, and sexual health vaccines for HPV, hepatitis A and B and mpox. CommUnityCare's HIV care page says the organization overall offers PrEP, PEP and HIV care, with HIV appointments at 512-978-9100. That page does not say these are specific to IDEALhealth.

On cost, CommUnityCare says its sliding fee scale is determined through a meeting with a financial eligibility specialist. The pages do not list a flat price for STI testing.

Pros

  • Testing, vaccines and prevention in one primary care network.
  • A sliding fee scale based on your circumstances.
  • DoxyPEP is listed, which fewer places publish.

Cons

  • The fee depends on an eligibility meeting, so you will not know the exact cost in advance.
  • Walk-in policy is not stated, so call first.

Kind Clinic

Kind Clinic is run by Texas Health Action and has two Austin sites. Both use the phone number 833-937-5463.

The Koenig location is at 101 W Koenig Lane, Ste 100, Austin, TX 78751. Kind Clinic says it offers walk-in testing for gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV and hepatitis C there. Published hours are Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and certain Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kind Clinic notes that walk-in testing hours differ, and that it is closed on observed holidays and the first Friday of every month.

The South Austin location is at 2800 S IH 35 Frontage Rd #103, Fountain Plaza III, Austin, TX 78704. Kind Clinic states that walk-in STI testing is not offered there.

On payment, Kind Clinic says that since January 1, 2024, patients with health insurance must use their insurance to cover lab work. If you are uninsured or cannot afford lab costs, it says its Kind Patient Assistance Program can help cover them.

Kind Clinic also says doxy-PEP is not offered as a standalone service or appointment. You must be receiving ongoing care there.

Pros

  • True walk-in testing at Koenig, with evening hours two days a week.
  • Hepatitis C testing in the same visit.
  • PrEP and PEP are available through the organization.

Cons

  • No price is published for uninsured visits, so ask about assistance when you call.
  • South Austin does not offer walk-in STI testing.
  • Closed the first Friday of each month.

ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness

ASHwell is a nonprofit at 3100 Red River St, Suite 3, Austin, TX 78705. The phone number is (512) 900-3116. It describes its services as sex-positive counseling, testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.

ASHwell says these services are always free, although there may be costs relating to medication. It also lists PrEP and PEP, and its homepage lists PrEP office visits and labs at $0 out of pocket.

Two limits to know about. ASHwell says it does not currently accept walk-ins, so you call or email first. And its services page says STI treatment is only for ASHwell patients.

Pros

  • Free testing, which removes cost as a barrier.
  • Counseling is part of the service.
  • PrEP and PEP are available.

Cons

  • No walk-ins.
  • Treatment is for ASHwell patients, so you may need to become a patient first.
  • Medication may carry costs.

Vivent Health, Austin

Vivent Health is a nonprofit at 104 E. Highland Mall Blvd, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78752. The phone number is (512) 458-2437. Vivent says it offers free and confidential HIV testing at all of its locations. It lists rapid HIV testing, hepatitis C testing and PrEP at this site. The CDC's National Prevention Information Network listing also lists free STI and hepatitis C tests there.

Vivent says to call for walk-in testing hours or to make a testing appointment. Vivent's own page states the free offer for HIV testing, so confirm by phone whether the other tests are also free.

Pros

  • Free HIV testing, including a rapid option.
  • PrEP with HIV and STI testing at the first visit.
  • Strong fit for HIV prevention and HIV care.

Cons

  • Walk-in hours are not published. You have to call.
  • The free offer is confirmed for HIV testing. Ask about other tests.

UT Austin University Health Services

The STI Testing Clinic is in the Student Services Building, 100 West Dean Keeton Street, Room 1.400. The phone number is 512-471-4955. It serves UT Austin students and offers chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis testing. The drop-in service needs no appointment, but it is for people without symptoms. Students with symptoms need a provider appointment.

The clinic's page does not list a price. Austin Public Health's page lists $30 for its own clinic. UT's off-campus testing page carries an older figure, so rely on Austin Public Health's number and ask UT about its own fees.

Pros

  • Drop-in access on campus.
  • Four standard tests.

Cons

  • Meant for UT students.
  • Drop-in is not for people with symptoms.

Planned Parenthood in Austin

Planned Parenthood is a national nonprofit health care provider that offers sexual and reproductive health services, including STI testing, at many of its health centers. People often look for it when comparing options for a Planned Parenthood Austin visit.

This page does not list a Planned Parenthood address, hours, price, walk-in policy or PrEP availability, because those details were not confirmed from a published source for this guide. To compare it fairly, check Planned Parenthood's own website or call the health center directly. Ask which tests are offered, what the visit costs with and without insurance, whether you need an appointment, and whether your preferred language is available.

Listing it here is not an endorsement, and this guide has no affiliation with any provider on the page.

Languages and accessibility

None of the clinic pages reviewed for this guide state which languages are spoken or whether interpreters are available. If you need a language other than English, ask when you call. Many clinics can arrange interpretation, but each one has to confirm it.

Which option fits which situation

Best for a low, predictable price

Austin Public Health lists a $30 fee for testing and treatment. ASHwell lists its services as free, with possible medication costs.

Best for walking in without an appointment

Kind Clinic at Koenig Lane offers walk-in testing. UT's drop-in clinic works for students without symptoms.

Best for free HIV testing or PrEP

Vivent Health offers free HIV testing and PrEP. ASHwell lists PrEP visits and labs at $0 out of pocket. CommUnityCare and Kind Clinic also offer PrEP.

Best for doxy-PEP questions

CDC issued guidance in 2024 on doxycycline taken after sex to lower the chance of some bacterial STIs for certain groups. It is something a clinician prescribes after a conversation about your situation. CommUnityCare lists DoxyPEP. Kind Clinic offers it to patients in ongoing care.

Best for sliding-scale primary care and vaccines

CommUnityCare combines testing with HPV, hepatitis A and B and mpox vaccines on a sliding fee scale.

Best for people who want testing without leaving home

Texas DSHS runs Test for Texas, a free mail-order self-testing program for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia, at dshs.texas.gov. Orders go through testfortexas.org.

Best for a hepatitis C test in the same visit

Kind Clinic lists hepatitis C testing with its walk-in services. Vivent Health lists it too.

Best for teens

Under Texas Family Code Section 32.003, a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease, and the statute says parent or guardian consent is not necessary. Texas DSHS also states this includes HIV. The same statute lets a physician tell a parent or guardian about treatment, so a provider is allowed, though not required, to do so. If privacy matters to you, ask the clinic about its practice before the visit.

Local numbers worth knowing

The Texas DSHS STD Surveillance Report for 2022 lists Travis County's chlamydia rate at 712.6 per 100,000 people, or 9,452 cases. The same report puts the Texas rate at 519.9. For gonorrhea it lists 351.4 per 100,000 in Travis County, or 4,661 cases, compared with 207.0 statewide.

Those figures reflect cases that were found and reported. Counties that test more can show higher rates. They are a reason to treat regular testing as routine health care, not a signal about any one person.

Texas DSHS lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV among its notifiable conditions. That means labs and clinicians report positive results to public health authorities. Reporting is part of how health departments track and respond to infections.

If you need to treat a partner

The CDC's page on the legal status of expedited partner therapy says Texas has no EPT statute, but its administrative rules allow a physician to prescribe STD medications for the partner of an established patient without a separate patient relationship. The CDC page says advanced practice nurses may do so too, and that pharmacists may dispense these prescriptions. Ask your clinician whether this applies to your situation.

The verdict

No single clinic wins on every measure. Here is the plain summary.

  • For most adults who want a clear price and a standard panel: Austin Public Health's Sexual Health Clinic, at $30 per its own page, is the simplest published option.
  • For same-day access: Kind Clinic's Koenig location is the stated walk-in choice.
  • For the lowest cost: ASHwell and Vivent Health publish free services, within the limits described above.
  • For people who need vaccines, ongoing primary care or a sliding scale: CommUnityCare.
  • For UT students: the on-campus drop-in clinic.
  • For Planned Parenthood: confirm services, cost and hours with the organization before you decide, since they are not published here.

The reasoning is simple. Cost, access and extra services trade off against each other. A walk-in visit saves time but may involve insurance billing. A free visit may need a phone call first. A flat fee is predictable but sits behind an appointment. Pick the factor that matters most to you this week.

Whichever you choose, a clinician or test result is what answers questions about your own health, and a clinician is who prescribes any treatment. The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend screening based on age, sexual practices and other factors, so ask a clinician what testing schedule makes sense for you.

Next steps

For the full local list, see our Austin clinics list. For costs, what to expect at a visit and more detail, read STD testing in Austin: where to get tested and what it costs.

You can also use the CDC's locator at gettested.cdc.gov to find free or low-cost testing sites by ZIP code. Whichever route you take, call ahead to confirm hours and fees, since clinic details can change.

Sources