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FAQs

Find answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) that our healthcare provider and administrator partners often have about Close the Gap.

Questions and answers

What is Close the Gap?

Close the Gap is a Boston Scientific health equity initiative focused on empowering providers to reduce health inequities that women and people of color often experience through outreach and education. Our mission is to close the health inequity gap by increasing awareness, improving clinical representation, and empowering providers to address treatment disparities. At this time, our program focuses on addressing treatment inequities in heart and vascular diseases.


What resources do you provide?

We provide:


I’m not sure where the disparities are. How can I find out for sure?

We can provide a data-driven understanding of your community’s needs. Contact us for a Disparity Index Report that highlights existing inequities in your specific catchment area. This allows you to look at burdens of disease at national level, compared to your local area.


Who is a good fit for the Close the Gap program?

We’ve learned providers need to have a combination of interest, passion, and commitment in order to successfully champion health equity programs with us. Your organization should also have:

  • A strong value of health equity
  • Ongoing or emerging health equity programs
  • A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) culture
  • A passionate interventionalist physician
  • A caring team with administrative support

What does a successful Close the Gap program look like?

Our Close the Gap team usually works directly with a passionate physician, administrator, and a core team of healthcare providers, marketing, nursing, community engagement, community constituents, and others wanting to reduce specialty care disparities. This group creates the program strategy and tactics aligned to your mission and capabilities, with the goal of improving access to care. All programs are customizable, and we encourage innovation and creativity.

Some efforts can include:


Who covers the cost? Do you offer grants?

The use of all resources, materials, and time with our health equity consultant is available at no charge to healthcare providers. Boston Scientific also sponsors patient connectivity events, such as virtual health fairs, that enables underserved populations to learn about treatment options available in their local community. Providers who want to host a patient-centric program will need to cover the costs associated with the event.

Close the Gap continues to support grant initiatives on a limited basis focusing primarily on national organizations addressing equitable representation in medicine. You can apply using the general Boston Scientific process. These applications are reviewed monthly.

Health equity resources to influence change

Find information about the biggest barriers to clinical care and tools to promote health equity amongst your peers and within your community.

Ready to get started?

Boston Scientific dedicated health equity consultants are here to help you build a localized program that supports your at-risk demographics – at no expense to you.