Preferred Location: 25070 Michigan Ave Dearborn,MI 48124 Dearborn Change location
SaferSTD Preferred Location: 25070 Michigan Ave Dearborn,MI 48124 Dearborn Change Location
Romulus is a suburb of Detroit with a good-old-fashioned American sense of camaraderie and a great mix of rural areas and links to areas with a big city feel. Wayne Countyย is also undergoing an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, Syphilis, and Chlamydiaย – when including the statistics for Detroit, theย picture is even bleaker.
As of 2018, there are 2,370 persons living in Wayne County with HIV, which is the second highest incidence of all counties in Michigan. There were 97 new cases of HIVย in the county in 2018, which makes up nearly 20% of all new cases reported in the state.
Outside of Detroit, Wayne County has the highest number of people living with Syphilis, Chlamydia,ย and Gonorrhea in the area. With 73 cases of Syphilis, 4,788 cases of Chlamydia, and 1,534 cases of Gonorrheaย reported in 2017.
County officials are strongly recommendingย people in Romulus who have beenย engaging in sexual activity or any other high-risk behavior get tested for all STDsย at their earliest convenience.
WCHC Wayne County Health Center is the local government service that provides local residents of Romulus and the local areaย with confidential, professional STD testing services. The clinic is located in front of the Gateway Golf Club.
For times when waiting for an appointment isn’t an option, Taylor Romulus Walk-In Clinic near the Ford dealership in Taylor can provide a fast, friendly service forย patients needing urgent STD testing services.
The scope ofย the STD and HIV crisis in Romulus is such that charities and non-profit organizations offer free STD testing in variousย local locations. Previousย clients ofย these services have saidย that in spite of not charging for the initial test, some services requireย payment for the results to be delivered.
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 CDC2ย 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.ย
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.ย
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.ย
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.ย
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.ย
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.ย
SaferSTD has researched and identified reputable locations that offer upfront pricing without hidden fees. Click here to find a preferred location near you.
The Spectrum Center is apart of the University of Michigan is a place where LGBTQ+ students and community members can be accepted and feel valued. This center works on student and campus-related affairs, activities, education, and much more. The foundation of the center is student-centered and is free of discrimination. This center has 18 employees.
Advantage Health Centers owns and operates the Thea Bowman Community Health Center. Advantage Health Centers is a Federally Qualified Health Center that offers Detroit residents with medical, OB/GYN, dental, and behavioral health services. All together, AHC owns and operates five health centers. Advantage Health Centers was founded in 1982 originally known as the Detroit Care for the Homeless, but in 1986 since changed its name to Advantage Health Centers.
Unified provides HIV, Hepatitis C, and other related services to people in Southeast Michigan. They specialize in HIV and Hepatitis C health along with HIV prevention, access to health care, community research, and advocacy. Unified was formed in 2015 when the HIV/AIDS Resource Center and the AIDS Partnership Michigan joined together. Overall, Unified has a 60+-year history of bringing HIV and related services to community members.
The mission of Corner Health Center is to provide healthcare services for young people to make their transition to adulthood better, safer, and healthier. Corner Health Center provides quality but yet affordable health services for visitors 12 through 25 years old. They offer medical services, mental health services, and supportive services. Their personnel includes physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, nutritionists, and health educators.
The Planned Parenthood Michigan owns and operates the Ann Arbor East Health Center. The Ann Arbor East Health Center is a place residents can find expert health care, resources, education, and personalized visits. The Planned Parenthood of Michigan has been around since 1922. At this time, they were the first birth control clinic in Michigan and now are a statewide affiliate of Planned Parenthood with 19 health centers.
The Washtenaw County Public Health Department works together to identify public health problems within Washtenaw County. They help establish public health priorities, public health services, activities, and much more. This health department has been around for more than 75 years. Every day they continue to measure the health status of the county and work as a team to ensure all residents are safe and healthy.
Call our Expert Care Advisors at
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: Public Health Department/Social Services Department. A $10 fee is requested at time of service for STD HIV Testing free. STD Clinic by appointment Monday-Friday
Description: Clinic serves pediatric patients age 3 years - 19 years old. The age for HIV testing is 14 or older.
Description: Hospital. For medical services the person must be 10 to 21 years old.
Show only locations where you can easily book your test online.
Description: Hospital.
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: Public Health Department/Social Services Department. Services available to anyone over 13 with a sexual health concern. HIV testing free, STD testing sliding scale fee, limited insurance accepted. Bring your photo identification, insurance card and your Social Security number to your first appointment. If you request anonymous HIV testing, identification is not required.
Description: Services for persons 12-25 years of age and their children.
Description: Social Service Organization.
Description: Community Based Organization. By appointment only
Description: Community Based Organization.
Description: Community Based Organization. By appointment only
Wayne County, in general, and the Romulus area more specifically have alarmingly high rates of STD infections. Although the numbers are high across the board, they are particularly concerning when one looks at gonorrhea and chlamydia rates. Wayne County has accounted for more gonorrhea and chlamydia cases in recent years than any other Michigan county. In fact, the figures are not even close. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports that roughly 9 percent of the stateโs chlamydia cases originate in Wayne County, and the rate is even higher for gonorrhea, at approximately 10 percent.
Around the country, syphilis has reemerged as a public health concern in recent year, after decades of near eradication and obscurity. And Michigan and Wayne County are not bucking this national trend. Approximately 15 percent of Michiganโs syphilis cases are being reported in Wayne County. And, on a sobering note, because some doctors tend not to aggressively test for syphilis, the real infection rates may be even higher. Public health officials and sociologists have offered numerous theories about the re-emergence of syphilis. Although no consensus has seemed to emerge, it appears that economics play a role; syphilis rates are surging in areas of the Midwest that have been economically depressed.
Although HIV/AIDS is no longer as widely discussed as it was in the late 1980s and 1990s, it still remains a serious concern, and in some communities, given a spike in the rate of IV drug use, infection rates are rising. Given that Wayne County does have a real drug problem, and there have been a growing number of heroin overdoses reported in the city and surrounding county, sharing contaminated needles may be a real source of new HIV/AIDS infections. According to the most recent available statistics, approximately 2000 individuals in the county currently have tested HIV-positive. The HIV infections are primarily attributed to three sources of transmission: homosexual intercourse, heterosexual contact, and sharing contaminated needles.
Given the persistently high rates of these STDs, local sexual health educators recognize how important it is to proactively educate Wayne County residents about safe sexual health practices; and, it is key that this education happens in schools and at a young age.
Top STD Testing Locations in Romulus, MI
Primary Item (H2)The Spectrum Center offers rapid blood HIV testing to students and the public. This HIV testing service is free of charge. The results are ready within 20 minutes. Testing is offered on Mondays from 6:00 pm โ 8:00 pm throughout the Fall and Winter semesters. No appointment is necessary.
The Spectrum Center offers services surrounding topics such as faith & spirituality, mental health & healthy relationships, sexual health, and trans care. The Spectrum Center accepts and is centered around the LGBTQ+ and transgender community. This center is a two-story building that is brown and white and is nicely landscaped within the University of Michigan campus.
1443 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
The Thea Bowman Community Health Center does not have qualifications that visitors need to meet before they can be tested for HIV. Visitors should know this center does provide the conventional blood HIV test with results ready within 7-10 days. This center does accept insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and offers a sliding scale fee.
The Thea Bowman Community Health Center is a safe and reliable place where Detroit and surrounding community residents can come for their health care needs. In addition to HIV testing and counseling services, this health center provides prescription assistance, social work services, family planning services, TB testing, and much more. This health center is a two-story building with parking available in the back of the building. Itโs across the street from Olympia Coney Island.
15400 W McNichols Rd, Detroit, MI 48235, USA
Please see their website for a full list of HIV and Hepatitis C testing locations. Please know that their trained staff and volunteers provide their free and anonymous rapid HIV testing services. In addition, their test counselors are certified by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Unified provides a leading example of what HIV care should look like throughout Michigan. The Ypsilanti Unified location has a team of 19 employees who work together as a team so each individual who is either living with HIV or Hepatitis C life a healthier and more independent life. For example, they have a harm reduction specialist, medical case manager, peer support specialist, housing specialist, and many more staff members on-site.
2287 Ellsworth Rd Suite B, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA
Corner Health Center only sees people who are at least 12 years old and not older than 25 years old. Their testing services are confidential upon request and sometimes this center can see people the same day they call to make an appointment. This center does both the rapid HIV test and the traditional HIV test. HIV testing can be completed anonymously. Rapid testing comes up with results within 20 minutes and traditional testing has test results within 5 days.
Overall, Corner Health Center is a place for teenagers and young adults to come together to gain access to high-quality health care services, mental health services, and educational services. All their team members are board-certified and can address any questions you may have on-site. Though this facility may look run down on the outside, once inside visitors are welcomed into an organized, spacious, and colorful place.
47 N Huron St, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA
The Ann Arbor East Health Center does not have any eligibility requirements to meet before anyone can be tested for STDs. Everyone is welcome. Please note that if youโre not uninsured, you may qualify for a state-funded program or a lower fee scale. Please bring the following documents with you to the first visit: birth certificate and photo ID. If you donโt have access to your birth certificate, please bring your passport instead. Fees for services are based on your household income.
The Ann Arbor East Health Center is a safe and patient-centered facility where Michigan residents can visit for their sexual and reproductive health care needs. Besides STD testing services, this facility offers condoms, the HPV vaccine, and safer sex education. PrEP is available at this center for patients who are not yet diagnosed with HIV but do have an increased risk.
3100 Professional Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
The sexual health services clinic provides STI/STD testing, HIV testing and counseling, pregnancy testing, vaccinations, and much more. If youโre interested in being tested for sexually transmitted diseases, you must either walk-in or make an appointment between 8:30 am โ 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Services are available to anyone over the age of 13. HIV testing is free and STD testing is charged using a sliding scale fee.
The Washtenaw County Public Health Department offers STI/STD testing and treatment, free HIV testing and counseling services. In addition, this clinic can also provide free pregnancy testing, vaccinations for Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, and HPV, birth control counseling, free condoms, and much more.
555 Towner St #1103, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, USA
The statistics above are undoubtedly sobering, and they send a clear signal to the population and activists and educators that more needs to be done in Wayne County (and truthfully, across the United States). However, the statistics are not all doom and gloom. There are some high points among the more sobering indicators. For instance, in the most recent years that statistics exist for, Wayne County was one of only two Michigan regions that reported declining gonorrhea and chlamydia infection rates. However, it is not yet clear what the reasons are for this decline; does it represent a paradigm shift indicating that education is having a real impact on behaviors or is it a statistical fluke? It may take several more years to have a clear answer to this question. ย
The state of Michigan, as a whole, seems to recognize the importance of including sexual health education and more comprehensive education on positive citizenship and good self-esteem into school programs. To successfully address this, the Michigan Department of Education has developed material for educators across all grades and also has numerous curriculum suggestions that can be adapted to address local community needs. However, the Romulus Community School District is small and relatively resource-strapped. This lack of resources may impact the ability of educators to focus on sexual health education.
In addition to the curriculum guides noted above, the Michigan Department of Education also has a full-time HIV education consultant that engages in community outreach on this issue.
Community and school-based sexual health education have always been critical tools in combating STDs in local communities. However, in the modern world, these tools are even more important. Across the country, including in Wayne County, Michigan, a staggering percentage of newly reported STDs, particularly for gonorrhea and chlamydia, are among individuals who are between the ages of 15-24.
There seems to be a growing acceptance of casual hook-ups and having multiple sexual partners in this age group. Many of these casual hook-ups are fueled by drugs and alcohol, and, as a result, many times safe sexual practices are not used. Many articles note that the concept of hooking-up is not new, it has existed since the 1970s. However, the acceptance of hook-ups and the frequency of these interactions has dramatically increased.
Unlike other bedroom communities that have managed to survive and thrive despite downturns in the Detroit economy (largely driven by the fate of the American automobile industry), Romulus has not been nearly as lucky. The economy has largely stagnated in the community, and retailers have fled the community for more lucrative locations. There are few businesses that operate in Romulus, even big box retailers, like Walmart, are a car trip away. This stagnation may help explain the high rates of STD infection seen in the community. Frequently, STD infection rates and economic vitality are inversely correlated. Higher income and greater levels of education generally result in safer sexual practices (even though this is not always true).
Other demographic characteristics of Romulus are not particularly notable. The population is relatively evenly distributed across ages, although there has been a small spike in recent years in younger individuals living in the community. As noted above, younger individuals (those in the 15-24 year old demographic) are often more likely to engage in risky sexual practices. This spike in younger residents may help explain the relatively high rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea infections in the community. The community is also racially diverse, whites make up a slim majority of residents of Romulus (approximately 50.5 percent in the most recent census). African-Americans are the next largest racial group in the community, accounting for more than 40 percent of the cityโs residents. ย
Statistics in the last 20 years have shown that gonorrhea and chlamydia rates among African-American males remain significantly higher than among non-minorities, and these figures are even more skewed when looking at young people. Sadly, this racial difference has been incredibly persistent despite outreach and education efforts to make condom use more accepted and more the norm in these communities. ย
Given that Romulus, Michigan is a quick 30-minute drive from Detroit, there are countless options for STI testing for local residents who are concerned about their sexual health. Many residents choose to have their testing at private doctorsโ offices; this choice affords privacy, as well as comprehensive services if a test comes back positive. However, the downside of this option is that it often comes with higher costs (depending on a patientโs insurance).
Another choice for many local residents is the Planned Parenthood Clinic that is located in Livonia, Michigan. The drive to Livonia is even shorter than drive to Detroit; it generally takes less than 20 minutes on I-275 and at most times of day traffic is not bad on I-275 in that direction. ย The Planned Parenthood Clinic in Livonia offers a wide range of services, including comprehensive STD testing and health services that are particularly focused on serving the unique needs of the area’s LGBT community. Although Romulus does not have a large number of immigrants, Wayne County, as a whole, has many immigrants who are not native speakers of English. To fully meet these immigrantsโ needs, Planned Parenthood has a large team of interpreters and other staff to bridge these communication challenges. ย ย ย
In addition to Planned Parenthood, other community organizations that are primarily focused on the areasโ teenage population also offer testing. For example, there is comprehensive testing available at the Oakwood Inkster Teen Health Center (in Inkster, Michigan), as well as at the Taylor Teen Health Center (in Southgate, Michigan). Older individuals also have available testing options, such as for-profit clinics like STD Check and STD Test Express.
The downside of these for-profit clinics is that they tend to be more expensive than the fees charged at Planned Parenthood. Also, at Planned Parenthood, there is a well-trained medical staff available to help patients interpret test results and determine the treatment options that are best for them. These for-profit clinics are less focused on treatment โ their primary focus is diagnosis. This can leave a newly diagnosed patient frequently feeling overwhelmed or scared.
For people who may not have the funds to pay for private testing, the Wayne County Department of Public Health offers low cost. However, the Department of Public Health does not offer the comprehensive screens that may be found at the other options highlighted above. ย
Sexual health is an important topic for everyone to consider. However, because it is a topic that makes some people uncomfortable to discuss, particularly with family members, it is often a topic that gets slid to the backburner. People delay getting tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS. And left untreated, these diseases can spread to other members of the community or can have serious implications for the affected individualโs health or long-term fertility. This problem is universal across the United States and also exists in the small bedroom community of Romulus, Michigan. In fact, in the community, problems like syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia are affecting more and more people.
Rather than burying your head in the sand like an ostrich because the topic makes you uncomfortable, it is important to be proactive about being tested. But, simply being tested is not enough. It is also important that you educate yourself about safe sexual practices. And once you know, it is essential that you follow these practices every time you have sexual contact with another person. ย
Here are the links to some of the sources mentioned above,
http://heroin.net/help/michigan/romulus/
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Wayne_Jan13_408914_7.pdf
http://living.thebump.com/hooking-up-mean-teenagers-3149.html
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.