Quick Take
Watsonville Community Hospital said Tuesday that patient information like names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, passport numbers and diagnosis information may have been included in the copied files. The potential data breach did not include medical records, hospital officials said. There is “no indication that that information was copied from our electronic health record system.”
Watsonville Community Hospital said it is notifying some patients that their personal information could have been compromised in a cyberattack last month.
In a notice posted to the hospital’s website on Tuesday, the organization said it discovered that files had been copied from one of its computer systems some time around Nov. 29. The hospital had noticed suspicious activity in some of its network systems that same day, prompting it to take some of its systems offline. The following week, hospital officials confirmed the facility had been the target of a cyberattack.
The hospital said Tuesday that patient information like names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, passport numbers and diagnosis information may have been included in the copied files. The potential data breach did not include medical records, hospital officials said. There is “no indication that that information was copied from our electronic health record system.”
The hospital’s investigation is still ongoing. It has reported the attack to the FBI and relevant state and federal privacy regulators.
“Watsonville Community Hospital is notifying a limited number of individuals by mail that their information may be at risk,” said Watsonville Community Hospital CEO Stephen Gray in a press release. “It is important to note that, at this time, we have no evidence that identity theft or fraud has resulted from this incident. However, out of an abundance of caution, we are providing complimentary identity theft protection and credit monitoring to these individuals.”
Watsonville Community Hospital spokesperson Nancy Gere said that she could not provide further comment beyond what was in the release, as the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who wants more information can call the hospital’s assistance line at 833-918-6604, which is available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on major holidays.
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