Peoples Community Health Clinic Issues Notice of Data Security Incident

WATERLOO, Iowa, June 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Peoples Community Health Clinic ("PCHC") is providing notice of a recent data security event that may affect the privacy of information of certain PCHC patients.  This notification provides information about the event, PCHC's response to it, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they feel it necessary to do so.

What Happened?  On March 22, 2021, PCHC became aware of suspicious activity related to an employee's email account. Following this, PCHC promptly launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists to assess the security of its systems and the nature and scope of this incident. This investigation determined that an unauthorized individual gained access to one PCHC email account between March 18, 2021 and March 22, 2021 but could not confirm what specific information within this account may have been actually accessed by the unauthorized individual.  Therefore, in an abundance of caution, PCHC undertook a diligent and comprehensive review of the entire contents of this account in order to determine the full universe of sensitive data that could have been subject to unauthorized access. On May 24, 2021, PCHC completed this review and confirmed the full scope of sensitive data and potentially affected individuals.  To date, PCHC has found no evidence suggesting any actual or attempted misuse of information as a result of this incident.

What Information Was Involved?  While the specific data elements vary for each potentially affected individual, the scope of information potentially involved includes: name; address; Social Security number; date of birth; driver's license number or state identification number; medical diagnosis/medical treatment information; health insurance information; payment card number; or card CVV/expiration date. PCHC is in the process of notifying individuals whose information was involved.

What Is PCHC Doing?  Data privacy and security are among PCHC's highest priorities, and there are extensive measures in place to protect information in PCHC's care. Upon discovery, PCHC promptly commenced an investigation to confirm the nature and scope of this incident and determine whether there was sensitive information contained within the impacted account. In an abundance of caution, PCHC is providing notice of this incident to potentially impacted individuals and pertinent state and/or federal regulators.  As part of PCHC's ongoing commitment to the security of information, all policies and procedures are being reviewed and enhanced where possible, additional safeguards are being implemented, and workforce training is being conducted to reduce the likelihood of a similar event in the future.

What You Can Do? PCHC encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements and explanation of benefits forms, and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus.  To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report, place a fraud alert, or a security freeze.  Contact information for the credit bureaus is below:

Individuals can further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps to protect their information by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should be reported to law enforcement and the state attorney general. 

PCHC regrets any concern this security incident may cause. If individuals have questions about the incident, they may contact PCHC's toll-free dedicated assistance line at 855-867-0662.  This toll-free line is available Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm EST.

SOURCE Peoples Community Health Clinic