Entrepreneur and Vineyard resident Jeff Levy plans to purchase the Vineyard Haven medical practice at the end of May, staving off a closure that would have left 1,000 patients in search of a new provider.

Martha’s Vineyard is close to losing one of its two free-standing medical centers, potentially leaving more than 1,000 Islanders without a primary care doctor.

A first of its kind Lyme disease vaccine trial ran into a road block last weekend as the developers announced they had discontinued the study for about half of the thousands of participants in the U.S. — including those on Martha’s Vineyard.

Flu season is bad this year across the country and Island health care leaders are taking note, with an extra immunization clinic announced this week.

Vineyard Medical Care announced this week that three familiar physicians have joined the Vineyard Haven walk-in clinic, as laboratory services and research work continue to expand.

Vineyard Medical Care (formerly Vineyard Medical Services) is on track to blaze new trails after a recent change of ownership brings with it an added focus on clinical research, including into tick-borne illnesses and laboratory diagnostics.