Ascension Health Reveals Potential Cybersecurity Incident at Several Facilities in Birmingham Metropolitan Area

On Wednesday, Ascension Health announced that it may have experienced a cybersecurity incident leading to disruptions in clinical operations at several facilities in the Birmingham metropolitan area. The system detected unusual activity on select technology network systems on May 8th, which they believe was caused by a cybersecurity event.

The affected facilities include St. Vincent’s Birmingham, St. Vincent’s Blount, St. Vincent’s Chilton, St. Vincent’s East, St. Vincent’s St. Clair, and St. Vincent’s One Nineteen. Ascension Health has initiated an investigation and activated remediation efforts in response to the incident. Some systems have been interrupted as a result of the ongoing investigation.

Ascension Health has implemented procedures to ensure that patient care delivery remains safe and minimally impacted during this disruption of clinical operations. However, the health care system is still assessing the impact and duration of the disruption caused by this incident.

Companies that work with Ascension Health were advised to temporarily disconnect from their environment until further notice due to this cybersecurity incident that has affected clinical operations at several facilities in the area. The health care system has engaged the services of a third-party expert, Mandiant, to assist with the investigation into this matter. Relevant authorities have also been notified of this incident.

Ascension Health is working hard to determine if any sensitive information was compromised during this incident and will notify those affected individuals in accordance with regulatory and legal guidelines if necessary.