NOTICE OF DATA PRIVACY INCIDENT
Notice of Data Privacy Incident
Date: December 31, 2024
Watsonville Community Hospital (“WCH”) is providing notice of a recent data security event, which is still under investigation. As we continue to investigate and work toward notifying impacted individuals directly we are providing information about the event, our response, and steps potentially impacted individuals can take to protect their information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.
What happened? We became aware of suspicious activity related to certain systems within our computer network. In response, we promptly took portions of our network offline, isolated the affected systems, and began an investigation into the activity with the assistance of third-party specialists. Although the investigation is ongoing, we determined that files were copied from a certain computer system on or about November 29, 2024. We note that there is no indication that information was copied from our Electronic Health Record system. We are undertaking a comprehensive review of the at-risk files to identify individuals whose information may have been impacted by this event. Once this comprehensive review is complete, we will work as quickly as possible to mail a notification letter directly to potentially impacted individuals, which will include resources that individuals can reference to further protect their information.
What information was involved? While information varies by individual, the investigation to date determined that information such as name, date of birth, Social Security number, passport number, and diagnosis information may have been present in the relevant files. As discussed above, our comprehensive review of the involved files is ongoing.
What WCH is doing. Information privacy and security are among our highest priorities. Upon learning of this event, we moved quickly to investigate and respond to the incident, assess the security of our systems, restore functionality to our IT Network, and notify potentially affected individuals. As part of our ongoing commitment to information privacy and security, we reviewed and enhanced our technical, administrative, and physical safeguards, policies, and procedures to further secure the information on our systems. We also reported this incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation who is responsible for investigating these cyber events, and appropriate state and federal data privacy regulators. We remain committed to complying with all state and federal requirements and maintaining timely and transparent communication with our community as we learn more. If additional individuals are identified, they will promptly receive notice directly from us.
What you can do. We encourage individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Suspicious activity should be promptly reported to relevant parties including an insurance company, healthcare provider, and/or financial institution. Additional information and resources may be found in the Steps Individuals Can Take to Protect Personal Information section of this notice.
For more information. Individuals seeking additional information may contact our dedicated bilingual assistance line at 1-833-918-6604 (toll-free), which is available Monday through Friday, from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time, excluding major U.S. holidays. Individuals may also write to Watsonville Community Hospital, Attn: Executive Administration, 75 Nielson St., Watsonville, CA 95076.