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Cyberattack detected at UF Health hospitals in Leesburg, The Villages

Patient information not believed to be compromised, company says

LEESBURG, Fla. – UF Health Central Florida, including hospitals in Leesburg and The Villages, was targeted in a recent cyberattack, but the medical network said it does not believe that any patient or personnel records were compromised or shared.

UF Health said the cyberattack was discovered May 31.

“We immediately proceeded in a manner to protect our systems, including patient information, while also ensuring that we could continue providing great patient care — that was our first priority,” UF Health said in a statement.

The cyberattack prompted hospitals to change the way they operated, including the adoption of paper documentation procedures at hospitals and clinics and suspending email and computer connections between UF Health Central Florida and UF Health’s other campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville, as well as with the University of Florida.

“There is no indication this issue has affected our other health campus locations, nor the University of Florida,” the medical network said.

The cause of the attack is under investigation.


Below is the full statement from UF Health:

“On the night of May 31, UF Health Central Florida — including UF Health Leesburg Hospital and UF Health The Villages® Hospital — detected unusual activity involving its computer systems. We immediately proceeded in a manner to protect our systems, including patient information, while also ensuring that we could continue providing great patient care — that was our first priority. We have since learned that the activity was related to a cybersecurity event. With regard to protected information, at this time we do not believe any patient or personnel records have been compromised or shared.

“Our information technology team has been collaborating with IT experts on our Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses to investigate what caused the situation and minimize any potential risks. In an abundance of caution, and to protect confidential patient information, we implemented a series of backup procedures that enabled our staff to continue to provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care without interruption.

“Among the initiatives we proactively pursued as protective steps:

  • Immediate suspension of access to most system platforms, including email;
  • Adoption of paper documentation procedures across our hospitals and physician clinics;
  • Close coordination with local physicians and other local health care partners to ensure continuity of patient care; and
  • Suspension of all computer connections between UF Health Central Florida and UF Health’s other campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville as well as with the University of Florida.

“These types of situations take time to fully resolve. We are continuing to methodically investigate to delicately and precisely understand what happened, and are taking the appropriate actions to resolve any and all issues. There is no indication this issue has affected our other health campus locations nor the University of Florida.

“We are working diligently to shift back to our main systems as soon as possible. As a team of dedicated and caring medical professionals, we understand that at its core, health care is about people taking care of people, and we remain committed to continuing to provide exceptional care to our community,” the statement from UF Health said.


About the Author
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Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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