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Todd A. Cassel, M.D. Phone: (276) 467-2201 Todd Cassel is a board-certified family physician associated with Clinch River Health Services in Dungannon, Virginia. Clinch River is a community health center that receives federal funds to create access for low-income patients through a sliding scale of service charges. The practice includes three family physicians, a family nurse practitioner, and a general dentist. Dr. Cassel's partner Gary Michael, M.D. also precepts residents through GMEC. Born March 27, 1956 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Dr. Cassel is a citizen of the United States. He was married to Shelley Cassel in 1982 and they have three sons. The family resides in Dungannon. Dr. Cassel holds a BS degree in Natural Sciences from Muhlenberg College of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He graduated summa cum laude in 1978. Cassel earned an MD degree in 1982 from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In 1985, Dr. Cassel completed three years of residency training in Family Practice at Sacred Heart Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Cassel worked part-time during his residency training as medical officer for Lehigh County Prison (1983-84) and Allentown State Hospital (1984-85) in Allentown, Pennsylvania. From 1985 to 1988, Dr. Cassel worked as a National Health Service Corps physician with Clinch River Health Services in Dungannon, Virginia. Between 1988 and 1994, Dr. Cassel practiced with Southside Family Medicine in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1994, he moved back to Dungannon to practice again with Clinch River Health Services. Since 1995, Dr. Cassel has been a preceptor for medical students and residents through the Family Medicine Department of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Dr. Cassel sees an average of 25-30 patients per day sometimes as few as 20, sometimes as many as 35 in the winter. He estimates that 15% of his patients are under the age of 12; 10% are adolescents; 65% are adults; and 10% are older adults. By source of pay, he estimates that 37% of his patients are enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare; 29% have commercial insurance; and 34% are uninsured. Dr. Cassel does not maintain hospital privileges. The practice rotates after-hours call among the three physicians. Patients who need after-hours care or hospitalization are referred to the East Tennessee State University Family Practice Residency Training Program in Kingsport, Tennessee. The program is on the premises of Wellmont Holston Valley Hospital, a 540 bed regional referral center about 45 minutes from Dungannon. Clinch River physicians frequently host residents from this program in rural rotations. Cassel enjoys the full range of family practice from obstetrics to geriatric medicine. He also enjoys teaching, and has precepted medical students in East Tennessee State University's summer-long Appalachian Preceptorship program for the past several years. Dr. Cassel is on the Health Advisory Committee for the Scott County School Board. His personal interests include farming in the company of his three sons, camping, hiking, biking, and participating in any number of sports. Residents who rotate with Dr. Cassel may choose to stay in Dungannon at either the Rikemo Lodge or the Phoenix House. Local citizens may offer room and board in their homes. GMEC can attempt to locate furnished apartments or houses for residents, but we cannot guarantee results because short-term rentals are extremely difficult to secure in rural areas.
Dungannon is a peaceful, pastoral area spread along the banks of an unspoiled mountain stream. According to the Nature Conservancy, the watershed of the Clinch River is one of "America's last great places." Dozens of species that live no where else on Earth thrive in the Clinch River Valley. Isolated from surrounding neighborhoods, Dungannon is a close-knit community, aware of its limitations and proud of its accomplishments. Dominant sectors of the Scott County economy include retail trade, manufacturing, personal services, transfer income (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits), tobacco agriculture, and stock farming. In 1995, the largest employers in the county were the school board, Mascotech Industrial (automotive stampings,) Joy Technologies (mining equipment), Ridgecrest Manor (nursing home), and KVT Food Stores (grocery distributors). Virginia Highways 65 and 72 intersect in Dungannon. These are well maintained but narrow, curving two-lane roads. In downtown Dungannon, there is a restaurant, an elementary school, a general store, two convenience markets, a post office, a motel/lodge, Clinch River Health Services, and a few other businesses. The community lies at the base of an upland area where Stone and Powell Mountains merge into one rugged highland. This highland is part of the Jefferson National Forest and offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation. Hikers, bikers, waders, swimmers, and picnickers can access trails, streams, and other facilities at Hanging Rock, the Devil's Bathtub, Falls of the Little Stony, and Guest River Gorge. There are many fishing, boating, and hunting opportunities in the region as well. For fine dining, live theater, or the cinema, people from Dungannon drive an hour to Abingdon, Virginia or Kingsport, Tennessee.
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Cassel's office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. (M-T, F) and 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. He shares 9
exam rooms with two family physicians and one nurse practitioner. Services
on the premises include a waived medical lab, simple x-rays, emergency
care, pharmaceuticals for patients with chronic illnesses, mental health
counseling, and minor surgery (suturing, lesion removal, sigmoidoscopy).
The physicians offer prenatal care (to 32 weeks) for uncomplicated patients.
They make home visits as needed, and tailor the range of services to
the articulated needs of the community. Clinch River leases space to
a commercial pharmacy and a dentist employed by another community health
center. Clinch River has a management information system that can track
the number and diagnoses of patients seen by residents. There is one
computer/phone link with access to the Internet on the premises.
Dungannon is an unincorporated
community with about 600 residents. Thousands more people live
in the surrounding hinterland and patronize physicians associated
with Clinch River Health Services. The population of Scott County
is 23,204.