Close the Gap

Addressing disparities in the treatment of cardiovascular care

Did you know that:

• Every 37 seconds an American dies of heart disease?¹
• Heart disease is the #1 Killer in the United States?²
• Heart disease causes more deaths in Americans of both genders and all racial and ethnic groups than any
  other disease?³

In 2006, a team of physicians and other health care professionals from across the United States came together through the Close the Gap initiative to identify opportunities and develop strategies to address disparities in cardiovascular care for the underserved patient populations of women, black Americans, and Hispanic/Latino Americans.

Learn whether you are at risk for heart disease, and if so, what you can do to lower your risk.

Close the Gap Red Dress Event
Stanford vs. Rutgers Women's College Basketball Game
November 23, 2008

Boston Scientific’s Close the Gap team will join Women's Heart Health at an information booth onsite at the Stanford vs. Rutgers women's basketball game, to share information with game attendees about heart health, including risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options.

Rutgers head coach, Vivian Stringer, is passionate about the Red Dress event, and is committed to providing information to college athletes about cardiac risks because she lost her husband to sudden cardiac arrest. She and Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer will be featured in a public service announcement that will air on the scoreboard, online, and during the game broadcast.

1. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, 2008 Update. Available at http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200026

2. American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2007 Update. Available at www.americanheart.org
3. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion www.cdc.gov/omh/AMH/factsheets/cardio.htm. Accessed on September 10, 2007.