On March 25, 2024, Pembina County Memorial Hospital (“Pembina”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after discovering that an unauthorized actor was able to access the company’s computer network. In this notice, Pembina explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, vehicle identification numbers, passport numbers, Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, credit and debit card numbers, medical record numbers, patient, medical information, and health information. Upon completing its investigation, Pembina began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification from Pembina County Memorial Hospital, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the Pembina County Memorial Hospital data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Pembina County Memorial Hospital Data Breach?
The Pembina County Memorial Hospital data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Pembina’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on April 13, 2023, Pembina identified suspicious activity within its computer network. In response, Pembina secured its network and then worked with third-party data security experts to investigate the incident.
Pembina’s investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party accessed its systems on March 7, 2023, at which point they were able to access certain information on the Pembina network. Pembina also learned that some of the files that were subject to unauthorized access contained confidential patient information.
After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Pembina County Memorial Hospital reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. Pembina completed this process on March 4, 2024. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, driver's license number, government identification number, vehicle identification number, passport number, Social Security number, financial account number, credit and debit card number, medical record number, patient ID account number, medical information, and health information.
On March 25, 2024, Pembina County Memorial Hospital sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.
More Information About Pembina County Memorial Hospital
Pembina County Memorial Hospital is a healthcare system serving residents of Pembina County, North Dakota. Pembina’s facilities include Pembina County Memorial Hospital, a 20-bed critical access hospital and Level IV Trauma Centers; CliniCare, a rural healthcare clinic; Country Estates, a 20-unit independent living apartment complex; and Wedgewood Manor, a 40-bed skilled nursing home. Pembina County Memorial Hospital employs more than 133 people and generates approximately $15 million in annual revenue.
