Patients impacted by data breach at Salud Family Health

Salud Family Health updated Friday a public notice warning of a data breach that occurred in early September, the healthcare network said.

Personal and protected health information about patients and employees was accessed, said Jennifer Morse, spokesperson for Salud Family Health.

“In accordance with applicable Colorado law, on October 5th, we posted an initial notice on our website regarding the incident, which outlined the ongoing nature of the investigation, the steps we were taking to address the incident, and resources that are available to potentially affected individuals,” Morse said in a statement. 

“Upon the completion of the investigation, on November 4th, we updated the website post to include additional details about the incident and to reiterate the resources that are available to potentially affected patients,” the statement read.

The healthcare network does not know how many people were impacted by the data breach, Morse said.

The healthcare network “became aware of suspicious activity in certain computer systems” Sept. 5, according to the updated public notice, which was posted on the Salud Family Health website by Morse.

A patient, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Leader that he didn’t receive news about the data breach until Wednesday. 

In the public notice, the network said it’s providing those who may have been impacted with free credit monitoring, identity fraud protection services, contact information for credit reporting agencies and information about how to secure their credit files with security freezes and fraud alerts.

“It would be prudent for impacted individuals to regularly review their financial accounts,” the notice read. “If they notice any suspicious or unauthorized charges or withdrawals, they should contact their financial institution immediately.”

Anyone with questions about the breach or who believes they may have been impacted is asked to call 855-926-1137, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or visit the network’s website.

“The privacy and security of our patient and employee information is one of our top priorities, and we continue to take steps to enhance our security posture in order to protect the data entrusted to us,” Morse’s statement read. “We regret any concern or inconvenience this incident may cause and appreciate our community’s cooperation and patience as we respond to this incident.”