Hospital officials told CNN that on Thursday, cyberattacks knocked out computer systems at hospitals in Connecticut and Pennsylvania, prompting them to divert ambulances to other facilities.
As of late Friday morning, Crozer Health, a network of three hospitals and a medical center in the Philadelphia suburbs, was still redirecting ambulances for stroke and trauma patients to other hospitals due to a “ransomware attack,” according to a representative for Crozer Health, Lori Bookbinder, who talked to CNN.
According to a statement released by Prospect Medical Holdings affiliate Eastern Connecticut Health Network, the attack affected all of PMH’s healthcare institutions. PMH’s website boasts that the company owns 16 hospitals in the states of California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
The tweet below verifies the news:
Cyberattack forces hospitals to divert ambulances in Connecticut and Pennsylvania https://t.co/DdzQXub8el
— Sean Lyngaas (@snlyngaas) August 5, 2023
Because of the hack, the urgent care center and scheduled elective procedures at the two hospitals that make up the Eastern Connecticut Health Network have been closed. Affiliates of Prospect Medical Holdings also reported problems as a result of the attack. Prospective Medical Holdings said in a statement to CNN, “We are working closely with federal law enforcement to respond to this incident.”
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, told CNN that the White House is “closely monitoring the ongoing incident,” and that “the Department of Health and Human Services has been in contact with the company to offer federal assistance,” adding, “we are ready to provide support as needed to prevent any disruption to patient care as a result of this incident.”
According to a US government official, the corporation has thus far rejected offers of public assistance. However, later on Friday, Prospective Medical Holdings said they “believe there may have been a miscommunication or misunderstanding” and that they “welcome any assistance from the federal government.”
On Thursday, CharterCARE Health Partners, which consists of two hospitals in Rhode Island, announced that “inpatient and outpatient operations” were being impacted and that “some patient procedures may be affected.”
The affected hospitals are continuing to provide care for patients, but within their capability. Hospital care in the United States was impeded by ransomware and other intrusions during the whole coronavirus outbreak.
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Eastern Connecticut Health Network’s spokesman Nina Kruse informed CNN that ambulance diversion had halted as of Friday at 10 a.m. local time. According to Kruse, both of ECHN’s hospitals have kept their emergency rooms open during the whole ordeal.
Crozer Health has had previous experiences with ransomware. The hospital network went dark in June of 2020 due to a ransomware attack launched by a notorious group.
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