If my email inbox is any indication, a lot happened during my week off. While I sort through the tips and press releases, I thought I would point out a few stories as a way to begin catching up:

• The Virginia Department of Health confirmed, as of  Tuesday, five cases of West Nile Virus in the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, the state public health officials have joined the national plea for people to avoid mosquito bites as a way to prevent the disease. Among the health department’s hints are to use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants at dusk and dawn, and eliminate  standing water to deter mosquito breeding areas from forming in your yard.
• The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine announced plans to open a second branch campus. The latest addition to the private Blacksburg-based school will be in Alabama and is expected to open by 2015. The  college’s first branch campus welcomed its second class in South Carolina earlier this summer.
• A community health survey released last week by Carilion Clinic revealed some local residents need better access to medical care, more nutritious food, increased health education and opportunities to build their physical fitness. The findings didn’t surprise those who conducted the survey, my colleague Neil Harvey reported. Read the entire executive summary.
• Finally, if you missed it, I posted an entry earlier today on Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia’s plans to open four four medical offices as a way to begin providing health care directly to Medicare recipients.