The following is a somewhat confusing, and seemingly self-contradicting press release. DataBreaches.net has sent an email inquiry to ADFHT seeking clarification of what they mean by saying that although the investigation is ongoing, they have concluded that the personal health information in its electronic medical record was not compromised. What does “compromised” mean to them? Were any files with personal health information accessed? Were any copied or removed (exfiltrated)? This post will be updated when a reply is received from them. For now, however, the following is the press release they issued yesterday:
ARNPRIOR, Ontario, April 19, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jay Johnston, Board Chair of Arnprior and District Family Health Team (ADFHT), and Karen Simpson, Executive Director, ADFHT, released the following joint statement:
“On December 21, 2021, Arnprior Regional Health (ARH), a regional leader and hub for select acute, long-term care and other health care services, was made aware of an unauthorized access to their IT system. ADFHT, a non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board, purchases IT services and houses files on ARH’s network, and was informed by ARH of the cybersecurity incident.
“Fortunately, the IT team at ARH recognized the unauthorized activity quickly and took immediate steps to shut the IT system down. While it was initially believed that ADFHT’s information was not affected by the breach, we were notified on April 1, 2022 that ongoing investigations revealed some ADFHT data had, in fact, been compromised. Given the implications of this new information, the ADFHT is continuing to work closely with ARH, their cyber experts, and all relevant authorities to determine the full extent of the exposure.
“While the investigation of this incident is ongoing, ADFHT has concluded that the personal health information in its electronic medical record was not compromised.
“As an organization, ADFHT takes the security of patient information very seriously. The ADFHT continues to receive ongoing updates from ARH concerning the breach and we wish to take this opportunity to publicly thank the ARH for their transparency in ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to remedy the breach and investigate the scope of the data compromised. In accordance with the law, ADFHT will promptly notify individuals whose information may have been impacted. They will also be given details on credit monitoring and identity theft protection, if necessary.
“In the meantime, we encourage all of our patients to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities. Tips and resources for protecting your identity are available at: https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/identities/identity-theft/guide_idt/
“We recognize the discomfort and concern this may cause our patients. Once more information is available, it will be made public.”
For more information, please contact:
Josie Sabatino
jsabatino@summa.ca
613-235-4000