Akron Health Hub

The Kent State Center for Public Policy and Health has teamed up with interdisciplinary scholars and the Akron AIDS Collaborative (AAC) to create a centralized resource health hub that benefits the greater Akron area, particularly those living with HIV/AIDS and the LGBTQIA+ community. The Health Hub will consolidate information about everything from medical providers to basic needs assistance resources—anything that could impact health and wellbeing in the area. The Health Hub will include traditional modes of engagement (including a website and chatline) while also offering immersive remote and in-person Augmented Reality (AR) experiences to maximize interest in and accessibility of resources available in the greater Akron area. AR components are being developed using GLARE (GeoLocated Augmented Reality Editor), a cutting-edge technology developed by Kent State researchers that can identify geographical locations of resources and create “hotspots” that provide the viewer with additional information, such as text, pictures, and audio files.

Figure 1 (left). Mockup of a mental health support map in Portage County, OH with three points of interest (counseling services).

Figure 2 (right). Mockup of a GLARE hotspot, showing an example of visual content on the user’s screen. Clicking on the upper left icon brings up a menu with additional content (e.g., services, facility hours, specialties covered, other nearby services, etc. and a help link for troubleshooting). The thumbtack icon (lower right) brings up a map of the surrounding area.

The Akron Health Hub will launch in June 2025 featuring an initial priority pool of community resource providers identified by our community partners and focus groups with Akron community members; additional resource providers will then be incorporated on an ongoing, continuous basis. Providers endorsed by the Akron AIDS Collaborative will be given an AAC-Approved badge icon on their Health Hub listing to highlight their commitment to providing excellent care to individuals living with HIV/AIDS and members of the LGBTQIA+ community!

The development of the Akron Health Hub is being supported by a grant from Kent State University’s Anti-Racism and Equity Institute, Environmental Science and Design Research Institute, Healthy Communities Research Institute, and University Research Council. Principal Investigators include Dr. Deric R. Kenne and Dr. Samantha Nousak from the KSU Center for Public Policy and Health, Dr. Robert Clements from KSU Biological Sciences, Dr. Enrico Gandolfi from KSU Educational Technology, and Dr. Janet Reed from KSU Nursing. Learn more about our community partners, the Akron AIDS Collaborative, at  https://ohioaac.org/.

Want to learn more? Contact Principal Investigator and Director of the Center for Public Policy and Health, Dr. Deric R. Kenne (dkenne@kent.edu, 330-672-7105)!