Watsonville hospital IT network running again, investigation into cyberattack continues

Watsonville Community Hospital’s internet connection and electronic systems used for patient charts and prescription notifications are running again, following a network outage that lasted more than a week, hospital officials confirmed Thursday afternoon. 

The hospital’s information technology systems, which went down starting Nov. 29, have been restored in the past few days, said hospital spokesperson Nancy Gere. Hospital staff had to work on a paper system for a little over a week. The hospital has updated the electronic health record system to include information collected, while working on a paper system during the outage, she said.  

An investigation, conducted by third-party IT specialists, is still ongoing, said Gere. She confirmed the hospital was victim to a cyberattack last week, but could not confirm what type of attack the hospital was experiencing. Gere added that the investigation has not yet determined if any personal information was compromised. 

The outage had caused delays for the hospital’s emergency services, since X-ray and lab requests were submitted manually. The hospital had additional staff hand-delivering lab orders to the emergency room, Gere told Lookout last week. Emergency services are running as usual as of Thursday, she said. 

“We really appreciate our patients’ patience with us as we were on the previous paper system, and the delays that it caused,” said Gere. “People were remarkably patient, and for that we’re really grateful.”