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Hospitals across multiple states experienced disruptions due to a cyberattack, resulting in the temporary closure of some emergency rooms and the diversion of ambulances.
Many primary care facilities remained shut on Friday as cybersecurity experts assessed and addressed the situation.
The cyber breach, referred to as a “data security incident,” originated on Thursday within the facilities managed by Prospect Medical Holdings.
This California-based organization oversees hospitals and clinics in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and its home state.
In response to the attack, the company stated on Friday, “Immediately after becoming aware of the incident, we secured our systems and initiated an in-depth investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity experts.
Our primary concern right now is catering to the urgent needs of our patients as we strive to resume regular operations.”
Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospital in Connecticut had to close their emergency departments for a significant portion of Thursday. Consequently, patients were redirected to alternative medical institutions nearby.
Jillian Menzel, the Chief Operating Officer for the Eastern Connecticut Health Network, conveyed, “Our dedicated national team from Prospect is closely monitoring the repercussions of this cyberattack on our entire network.”
Several services, including elective surgeries, outpatient meetings, and blood drives, were halted.
Although emergency departments restarted their operations late on Thursday, several primary care services were still unavailable on Friday, as informed by the Eastern Connecticut Health Network, which manages the said hospitals.
They are reaching out to their patients individually.
The cyberattack repercussions were not limited to Connecticut. Other facilities within the Prospect system experienced similar issues.
Lauresha Xhihani, the spokeswoman for Waterbury Hospital, mentioned, “While we’ve reverted to manual, paper-based records during this crisis, our IT experts are rigorously working to resolve the issue.”
In Pennsylvania, the cyber incident impacted various hospitals, including Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Taylor Hospital, Delaware County Memorial Hospital, and Springfield Hospital, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer.
