Petaluma Health Center notifies patients of data breach

Current and former patients who have received services from the Petaluma Health Center may have had their personal information compromised as part of a cybersecurity incident in March, the health center said in a recent notice.

On March 14, the Petaluma Health Center experienced a “network security incident” that involved an unauthorized party gaining access to its network, the Petaluma Health Center said in a June 1 notice posted to its website.

As a result, information including patients’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, date of birth, medical information and health insurance information may have been obtained by the unauthorized party, the notice said. It was not immediately clear how many people were affected by the breach.

The health center also said it found “no evidence that patient information has been specifically misused.”

“PHC takes the privacy and security of information in its possession very seriously and sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this incident may cause,” health center leaders said in the notice.

An emailed request for comment to health center CEO Kathryn Powell was not returned.

After learning of the breach, the health center said it immediately took action to investigate and enhance its network’s security to prevent any similar incidents in the future.

Written notices have been sent to individuals who may have had their information compromised. Those impacted have also been provided with complimentary credit monitoring services and identity theft protection services.

For more information or questions about the incident, people are advised to call the health center’s helpline at 1-833-603-0762.

Amelia Parreira is a staff writer for the Argus-Courier. She can be reached at amelia.parreira@arguscourier.com or 707-521-5208.