On October 6, 2021, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (PLHS) experienced a network disruption that impacted some PLHS IT systems. When the disruption was discovered, our IT staff took immediate action to secure the systems and investigate. We worked quickly to restore critical systems to allow continued hospital operations. We have engaged a third-party cybersecurity firm to assist in a thorough investigation and support remediation efforts.
While the investigation is ongoing, it was determined the network disruption involved unauthorized third-party activity within a small number of PLHS IT systems. Federal law enforcement was immediately notified. Currently, we have no evidence that there was any unauthorized access to personal or health information. If the investigation determines that personal or health information is involved, we will notify those individuals in accordance with applicable law.
Our technical teams worked diligently to bring systems back online, and functionality of all affected IT systems has been restored. During the disruption, teams were able to effectively deliver patient care with minimal impact.
We thank our employees and physicians for their ongoing commitment to delivering high-quality care, and thank our community for their patience.