The city’s Board of Health is set to vote today on a measure that would require fast food restaurants to add calorie information to their menus.

The health department proposal would require restaurants with at least 15 outlets nationally to list complete calorie counts for the items on their menus in posted displays. The calorie law would affect 10% of the city’s restaurants.

A similar proposal was struck down last year by a federal judge, but the health department put forward a second proposal in November.

If adopted by the Board of Health, which is an 11-member body largely appointed by the mayor, the regulation would take effect March 31.

The measure has been criticized by the restaurant industry and the New York State Restaurant Association.

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EMPIRE EXTENDS COVERAGE TO DUANE READE DOCTORS

Doctors at Duane Reade’s retail health clinics will now be considered “in-network” by a major New York insurer.

Empire BlueCross BlueShield, the largest health insurance company in the state, has extended coverage to Duane Reade’s physicians, according to Consumer Health Services Inc., which manages the clinics. The partnership means Empire members can see the doctors at the clinics and that clinicians will have access to patients’ electronic medical records.

The clinics are affiliated with St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. Duane Reade currently operates four clinics in Manhattan, with locations at Lexington Avenue near Sixth Avenue; Broadway and West 97th Street; Broadway and West 63rd Street, and Broadway and West 50th Street.

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NEW YORKERS FAVOR HOSPITAL SPENDING OVER EDUCATION

The majority of New Yorkers oppose increasing education spending in the state budget if it comes at the expense of hospital funding, says a poll published by a major hospital trade group.

According to the poll, 58% of New Yorkers oppose such an increase. The poll also found that 73% of New Yorkers oppose cuts to Medicaid funding, and 74% oppose slashing funds for doctor training.

The poll, commissioned by the Healthcare Association of New York State, surveyed 620 New Yorkers and was conducted by the Siena Research Institute.

“It’s clear that New Yorkers want the state to focus on basic health care priorities,” the president of HANYS, Daniel Sisto, said.

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WEILL CORNELL GETS $13 MILLION TO STUDY VASCULAR DISEASE

Weill Cornell Medical College has received a $13 million federal grant to study vascular disease.

Researchers at the school’s Center of Vascular Biology will use the grant, awarded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, to investigate the major risk factors for artery disease, heart attack, and stroke. Researchers will focus on atherosclerosis and thrombosis, the school announced.

The grant builds upon previous work by researchers at the school’s vascular center, established in 1995. Five current projects there are looking at vascular disease on cellular and genetic levels.

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NURSES SUE UNION FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPRESSING OPINIONS

Three New York City nurses are suing a state nursing union over a rift that emerged when the union seceded from a national nursing union last month.

Patricia Leo Holloman, Lorna Samuels, and Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez claim that the New York State Nurses Association has prevented them from taking part in membership activities because they opposed the group’s disaffiliation from the United American Nurses, AFL-CIO.

In a complaint, the nurses said the union punished them for forming a group that campaigned against the dissociation, called the NYSNA Nurses for Unity. Ms. Samuels, a union board member, said she was prevented from voting on the issue.

The lawsuit seeks the restoration of their member- and leadership positions within the union.

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STATEN ISLAND HOSPITAL OPENS UROLOGY CENTER

Richmond University Medical Center plans to open its new urology center on Friday.

The $1 million Urology Center of Excellence is located at the hospital’s main campus on Bard Avenue in Staten Island.

The new center will treat male and female patients with adrenal and kidney disease and bladder conditions. It will also treat prostate problems and be equipped to perform shock wave lithotripsy, a noninvasive therapy that directs shock waves at kidney stones. Richmond University Medical Center is a 440-bed hospital that is affiliated with New York Medical College. Formerly known as St. Vincent’s Hospital, the medical center was established on January 1, 2007.