NOTICE OF DATA INCIDENT
What Happened?
On December 19, 2023, the Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama, Inc. (the “Mental Health Center” or “We”) discovered unusual activity related to our computer systems that disrupted normal business operations (the “Incident”). We immediately began an investigation and took steps to contain and remediate the situation, including implementing endpoint detection and response monitoring, notifying federal law enforcement, and engaging cybersecurity and privacy professionals to assist.
Due to the nature of the Incident, the investigation is still ongoing into what data pertaining to individuals was affected (“Information”). Currently, the investigation has found evidence that for a brief period of time in December 2023, unauthorized actors accessed some Mental Health Center systems. There is currently no evidence that any Information has been misused for identity theft or fraud in connection with the Incident.
What Information Was Involved?
Based on the current findings of the investigation, the following types of Information may have been impacted: name, address, birth date, admission date, discharge date, death date, medical record number, provider or facility name, medical condition, diagnosis and/or treatment information, lab results, medications, payment amount history information, insurance payment amount information, date of service, Social Security number, financial account information, credit card number, medical information, health insurance information, driver’s license or state identification number, and any information on an individual that was created, used, or disclosed in the course of providing health care services.
Note that this describes general categories of Information that we may believe may be present within the affected systems during the Incident and includes categories that are not relevant to each individual whose Information may have been present.
What We Are Doing.
In addition to the actions described above,
the Mental Health Center team has been working diligently to continue our investigation, add further technical safeguards to our existing protections, and bring systems back online as quickly and securely as possible. We continue to work with leading privacy and security firms to aid in our investigation and response, and we are reporting this incident to relevant government agencies.
What Can Impacted Individuals Do?
The investigation is ongoing and the identities of individuals who were affected are not yet known. However, out of an abundance of caution, the Mental Health Center 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 (1) free credit report annually from each of the three (3) major credit reporting bureaus. Additional information and resources are outlined below.
If you have questions for the Mental Health Center, you can contact us at 1-800-365-6008 or by mail at 1316 Somerville Rd., SE Ste. #1, Decatur, Alabama 35601.
Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Personal Information
To obtain a free credit report, individuals may visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.
Alternatively, affected individuals can contact the three (3) major credit reporting bureaus directly at the addresses below:
Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374, www.equifax.com, 1-800-685-1111
Experian, PO Box 2104, Allen, TX 75013, www.experian.com, 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022, www.transunion.com, 1-800-888-4213
Free Credit Report. It is recommended that you remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing account statements and monitoring your credit report for unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every twelve (12) months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies.
To order your annual free credit report please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228.
You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) website at www.consumer.ftc.gov) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
