Healthcare in Wyoming has been seriously disrupted after a ransomware attack brought down the computer systems of Campbell County Health.
Campbell County Health (CCH), which is based in Gillette, includes Campbell County Memorial Hospital, a 90-bed acute-care community hospital; Campbell County Medical Group, with nearly 20 clinics; The Legacy Living & Rehabilitation Center long-term care center; and the Powder River Surgery Center.
All of CCH's 1500 computers and its email server were affected by the attack, which took place on Friday morning, September 20. As a result, surgeries have been canceled, and new inpatient admissions have ceased.
All of today's appointments in the cancer center's radiation oncology department were canceled, and no outpatient lab, respiratory therapy, blood draws, or radiology exams or procedures are being carried out.
The attack prompted the hospital to go "on full divert," meaning patients arriving at the emergency room or walk-in clinic are triaged then transferred to an alternative care facility, if needed.
Other hospitals in the region have been informed of the situation and are working with CCH to provide urgent care, although two of them, Casper and Rapid City, were already full when news of the attack broke.
A press release issued by CCH on Friday afternoon stated: "Campbell County Health has been the victim of a ransomware attack. All CCH computer systems have been affected, which impacts the organization’s ability to provide patient care.
"The appropriate authorities have been notified, and efforts are underway to restore the affected systems. Information on CCH services will be updated as soon as information becomes available."
CCH said that the attack had not compromised any patient data.
A CCH spokesperson said on Friday: "At this point in time, there is no evidence that any patient data has been accessed or misused. The investigation is ongoing, and we will provide updates when more information becomes available. We are working diligently to restore complete access to our services."
As of Sunday, Campbell County Memorial Health's maternal child department had begun accepting patients again on a case-by-case basis. It is not yet clear when CCH services will be back to normal.
A CCH spokesperson said: "We are collaborating with the local, state, and federal authorities to address this unfortunate incident securely and as quickly as we can. We are very thankful for the local support from the City of Gillette, Campbell County Commissioners, [and] Campbell County Emergency Management."