Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) forms part of Akron Children’s Terms of Use for this website (“Terms”) and describes how Akron Children’s may collect, use, and disclose certain of your personal information when you use our website, together with any mobile applications and related online services we provide (collectively, the “Services”). This Policy also describes certain rights you can exercise with respect to your information.

By using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by our Terms and this Policy. Akron Children’s may modify, alter or otherwise update this Policy at any time, in our sole discretion, and your continued use of the Services constitutes ongoing acceptance of such modification.

Please Note: This Policy covers Akron Children’s collection and use of certain of your personal information as described herein and does not apply to medical information about you or your child as regulated by federal or state law, including, but not limited to, the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act and its related regulations (“HIPAA”). To the extent that your use of the Services results in Akron Children’s collection of patient medical information, our use, maintenance, and disclosure of such medical information is subject to our separately posted Notice of Privacy Practices.

What Information Akron Children’s Collects

In the course of providing the Services, Akron Children’s may collect the following types of information: (i) contact information that you provide, including name, mailing address, email address or phone number; (ii) credit/debit card/bank account information that you provide (including for Akron Children’s Foundation donations, bill payment, and online purchases); (iii) any subscription preferences relating to communications you request to receive from us; and (iv) any surveys that you respond to with feedback.

If you provide us with information regarding another individual (such as a child), you represent that you have that person’s consent, or have the legal authority to consent on their behalf, to provide such information and to permit us to use it in accordance with this Policy.

In addition, Akron Children’s, our services providers, and our advertising partners may collect certain information about the device(s) that you use to access the Services or information regarding your use of the Services. We and our third-party services providers or advertising partners may collect this information by using certain, automated tracking means, including, but not limited to, cookies and similar website tracking technologies that create and/or access files that your browser stores on your computer. In the course of providing the Services, the information that we collect by these automated means may include: (1) details about your use of the Services, such as the date and time of your visit, the websites or pages that you visited, the links that you accessed, the source or originating site(s) that led you to the Services, or other features of the Services that you used; (2) information about your browser and device, including device type, model, operating system information, browser configuration, IP address, and if shared, the location from which you accessed the Services; and (3) basic web log file data such as domain names, website traffic patterns, and server usage statistics.   

How Akron Children’s Uses the Information Collected

Akron Children’s may use the information that we collect about you, to the extent allowed by applicable laws, for several purposes including: (1) to provide the Services to you; (2) to operate, monitor, evaluate and improve the Services; (3) to evaluate Services usage metrics, including number of visitors, site traffic, and demographic patterns; (4) to tailor or customize the content that you receive through the Services or our other communications, including, but not limited to, site layout, featured articles and publications, useful links or targeted advertisements; (5) to respond to your requests, questions and comments; and (6) to comply with applicable legal requirements and industry standards or to enforce or protect our policies and contractual rights. 

In addition to these uses, we may also collect and use or share data and information in an aggregate manner or as may otherwise be permitted by law for research, analysis, modeling, marketing, and improvement of our Services.

How Akron Children’s Shares Your Information

Akron Children’s may share your information with third parties if the information is necessary to allow our services providers to provide their services or perform their duties. Similarly, we may share your information with third parties if it is necessary for Akron Children’s to perform its obligations or protect its rights. These third parties may include, IT services providers, including third-party developers and hosts of the Services, payment processors, and marketing partners.

Akron Children’s may also share your information if we are required to do so by law, when we believe disclosure is necessary to prevent harm or financial loss, in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual fraudulent or illegal activity, or in circumstances where sharing the information is necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our staff, our patients, users of the Services or the public.

We further reserve the right to transfer any information that we collect in the event of a merger, acquisition, or other reorganization or change of organizational control.

How Akron Children’s Secures Your Information

Akron Children’s values the confidentiality and security of your information. To prevent unauthorized access, we have put in place the appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures designed to safeguard and secure the information we collect through the Services. However, no system or set of procedures is 100% secure and we do not guarantee the security of your information. Moreover, we do not and cannot control any third-party sites, including those linking or directing you to the Services or which you access from using the Services, and do not and cannot control any other third parties to whom you have otherwise granted access to your information, including the developer of your internet browser or your internet service company.

BY USING THE SERVICES, YOU ASSUME ALL RISK AND RESPONSIBILITY RELATING TO THE SECURITY, PRIVACY, AND CONFIDENTIALITY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.

Akron Children’s Commitment to Childrens’ Safety

We do not knowingly solicit or collect information from children under the age of 13 through the Services. In the event that we learn that we have collected information from a child under age 13 without parental consent, we will endeavor to delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from or about a child under 13 without appropriate parental consent, please contact us immediately.

Limitation on Services

Akron Children’s website is managed in the State of Ohio, United States of America. We make no representation that the material found at the site is appropriate or available for use in other locations and by using the Services, you understand and agree that your information may be stored and processed in accordance with the laws of the United States and State of Ohio. If you access the Services from other locations, you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws.