The Mālama I Ke Ola Health Center Team discovered a breach on May 7 that they initially described as an IT or tech incident. They have now made it clearer that this was a cyberattack. In a statement on their website on May 23, they write:
Aloha Patients & Community
We recently learned of an IT security incident that is currently disrupting certain operations. We want to take this opportunity to update you on what we have learned about this incident.
Upon learning of the issue on May 7th, we proactively took certain systems offline and immediately began an investigation and efforts to restore our operations. As part of this investigation, we are working closely with external cybersecurity specialists to assist in our investigation and restoration efforts. The investigation and restoration process are ongoing. As the security of the data we maintain is always a top priority for us, we are also taking steps to identify and implement additional security enhancements that will help prevent similar events in the future. These additional precautions, while being done with the utmost care, have resulted in an unavoidable delay in return to our electronic health record-based operations. We are working as quickly as possible to resume these normal operations and appreciate the understanding of our patients and community.
Our goals right now are to make sure our network is secure and to restore our full functionality. Should our investigation determine that any patient data was impacted, we will notify the impacted individuals and comply with all legal requirements. We do not have any additional information to share at this time, but we will keep you apprised of any relevant developments that may arise. We take this situation with the utmost seriousness and are taking all precautions to mitigate any potential harm. In the interim, the Mālama I Ke Ola Health Center team has been working tirelessly to provide same-day (or walk-in) care to our patients since Monday May 13th between 8am-5pm at our OOKA location using downtime procedures. We encourage our patients and partners to please visit our website which is updated daily on the status of operations and services available.
If you have a health concern that you would like help with, please call us at 808-871-7772 or walk-in to our OOKA site.
Updates from the health center can be found at https://www.ccmaui.org/
Hawaii News Now has been reporting on the impact:
After more than two weeks, the health center in Wailuku finally reopened Wednesday, but with limited services. Patients are clueless about what is going on and say they want answers.
Folding tables and chairs are set up outside the center off Nani Street.
Handwritten signs inform patients where to go.
“A lot of paper charting. No computers or anything,” said Machayla Culver, a patient, and a registered nurse at another facility on Maui.
Read more on Hawaii News Now.