Betty Jean Kerr Health Centers Hit With Ransomware Attack

A St. Louis hospital hit with ransomware reports that personal information of 152,000 patients may have been compromised.

Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Center says it was recently hit with a hospital ransomware attackwhich affected its ability to provide for its patients – typically the uninsured residents of the area. Exposed patient information reportedly included addresses and social security numbers, but no medical records were breached. Medical providers and health care employees reportedly also had information compromised by the attack.

After the attack in September, Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Center was reportedly locked out of their data. Hackers reportedly demanded a ransom to unlock their systems, but the health center refused and instead contacted the police.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know whether or not the hackers viewed or accessed the affected information. CEO Dwayne Butler has released a statement that the hospital hit with ransomware regrets “any concern this incident may have caused our patients and customers.”

How is A Hospital Hit with Ransomware?

Ransomware attacks are cybersecurity breaches that lock users out of a system or disrupt services until the target pays a ransom – usually in the form of Bitcoin. These attacks may be implemented through phishing emails and infected websites. It only takes one user to click on these deceptive links and infect an entire organization’s system.

“Ransomware is less about technological sophistication and more about exploitation of the human element,” the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT) said in a ransomware report. “Simply, it is a digital spin on a centuries old criminal tactic.”

Ransomware attacks can target a variety of law enforcement, health care, and any other number of organizations and people.

When ransomware attacks target hospitals, many parts of the healthcare system could be affected. Medical devices, patient records, files, and other parts of the healthcare system can become disrupted or completely disabled until the hospital hit with ransomware agrees to pay.

A variety of hospitals have been hit by ransomware attacks recently, including the following:

• Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Center (St. Louis, Missouri)
• DCH Regional Medical Center (Alabama)
• Northport Medical Center (Alabama)
• Fayette Medical Center (Alabama)
• Park DuValle Community Health Center (Kentucky)
• Campbell County Health (Wyoming)
• Kalispel Regional Hospital (Montana)
• Alvarado Hospital Medical Center (San Diego, California)
• Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (California)

A number of these hospitals had their services disrupted by the ransomware attacks or had patient information compromised, while others were able to recover fairly easily.

Alvarado Hospital Medical Center reportedly had a ransomware attack occur in April but was able to recover their systems without having to pay a ransom.

“The hospital remains fully operational, and no patients have been turned away,” Alvarado spokeswoman Laura Gilbert said. “All significant clinical systems needed for operations are fully functional. Our I.T. team took great efforts to protect and restore our systems, and a ransom was never paid.”

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center was reportedly not as lucky following their February attack. The health system was reportedly required to pay $17,000 to regain access to their systems, but no information appeared to be compromised.

Join a Free Hospital Ransomware Attack Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were a patient at a hospital or healthcare facility affected by a ransomware attack that impacted your medical care, you may qualify to join a hospital ransomware attack class action lawsuit investigation.

Learn More

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.